True Sight
by kazeblack
Summary: Join Morgan, Chris, Destiny, Ariel and Jake on their quest to find the mythical alternate reality of Nar Zi, battle the Seekers, and restore peace and balance to the supernatural world.
1. Chapter 1

Abi Black

_For all of "my people", the wonderful friends_

_that inspired me._

Foreword

True Sight. I had never given it much thought before. It had always been present in my life, and it was something that I had gradually come to accept. I saw it as something that set me apart from others; something that made me special. I saw it as something that would keep me distant from other people but then I had always been more of a loner. I saw it as something that would keep me sharper, more aware of the things around me than most. I saw it as many things. But never before had I seen it as a danger, something that put my life in peril. I see now how wrong I was.

I

My heart was racing. There he was again. Tall and brooding, his dark hair blown back with the wind, startlingly blue eyes sweeping across the crowd, searching. Seeking me.

I hunched down, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. I should have known. There was no hiding from _him_. From _them_. My steps quickened, until I was racing through the streets, cutting corners and ducking into alleys. Too late. His terribly knowing eyes latched onto mine, and he pushed through the crowd with impossible speed.

I ran faster, darting in front of a car just as the red light turned to green. The driver swerved, shaking his fist and screeching curses I could hardly hear. The pounding of my own heart drowned out everything else.

My foot caught a crack in the sidewalk, and as I tripped, regained my balance I chanced a look behind me. I wished I hadn't. He was closing in. Instead of going across the street, as any normal human would have done, his impatience got the better of him and he leaped, vaulting over the top of the thickly clustered traffic. Typical.

The dreams had been clear: Stay away from New York. But when my great aunt Lydia had called with the news; my ninety-seven year old grandmother was dying, I didn't have the heart to tell my dad no, we couldn't go and spend the last few days of his mother's life with her because I was scared of a couple dreams. And now I was about to die.

I ducked into the doors of the nearby museum. He would never get past the metal detectors, and although I knew it wouldn't stop him for long, I had gained precious time. I figured I had about seventy-five seconds. I glanced behind me. Not getting attacked as soon as I set foot in New York had made me cocky. Sixty seconds. At the most.

I slipped into the nearest elevator just as the doors closed. Fifty-four

seconds. I dashed out onto the third floor, mumbling hasty apologies to the elderly couple I'd just slammed into and the librarian lady I'd knocked over. They still looked outraged, but then that wasn't important seeing as I was running for my life. Thirty seconds. I realized that, in my haste I'd hit the wrong button. This was the fourth and last floor. Twenty-six seconds. Not enough time.

"Wait!" I heard him cry out from behind me. _Wait?_ What kind of idiot did he think I was?

Without a second thought, I threw myself over the railing of the huge winding staircase. I fell for an exhilarating forty-seven feet before landing perfectly balanced on a giant globe suspended from the first floor ceiling and sliding down. I hardly noticed that people had stopped everything to stare at me, some gaping, some pointing and whispering urgently, a few even taking pictures. Seventeen seconds.

I yanked the foor to the emergency exit open, flew out the back of the museum into the fresh air, slammed into a cop on lunch break for good measure, and was in the front door of my tiny apartment complex at exactly zero seconds.

"Mom! Home from school!" I took the stairs two at a time, slamming my bedroom door and throwing myself backwards onto the crisp linen sheets of my twin bed. I'd made it out. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

My name is Morgan Leigh Sacoyan. I'm fourteen years old, almost fifteen, five foot six, both an animal lover and a hunter, and I have True Sight.

True Sight enables me to see things that others can't. What regular mortals don't know is that there are…things out there. Mythical creatures, if you will. Faeries, dragons, gryphons, elves, nature spirits, and shadowbeasts. And I am one of the very few people who can see right through the magical disguises they create for themselves, who can see them for what they really are.

True Sight. It was something that had always been present in my life, and it was something that I had gradually come to accept. I saw it as something that set me apart from others; something that made me special. I saw it as something that would keep me distant from other people but then I had always been more of a loner. I saw it as something that would keep me sharper, more aware of the things around me than most. I saw it as many things. But never before had I seen it as a danger, something that put my life in peril. I see now how wrong I was.

There are hunters out there. Not the kind that hunt animals. The hunters that hunt…Us. These hunters find people like me, people that have True Sight and other powers that go along with, like my dreams of the future. They hunt us down and try to capture us and use us. They want us to help them find mythical creatures so they can use them for their own selfish needs.

If it weren't for my godfather John, who also happens to have True Sight, they would have gotten me already. He warned me about them and taught me secrets. How to use magic, how to fight the Hunters, and how to communicate with the mythical creatures.

The blue-eyed boy had began stalking me about a week ago. The night before last Friday, I dreamed about him. My friend Ariel, who also has True Sight, had begun dreaming about him months before, but she had never actually seen him. The morning after my dream, I had woken early and decided to take a walk in the woods, to settle my thoughts. That's when I saw him. Well, part of him. I felt him watching me. I whirled around and all I saw was his electric blue, catlike eyes, glowing in the dawn shadows. They blinked once and he was gone.

That was the last I saw of him for next few days, but I could still feel him watching me. All the time. Then, when we came to New York, I saw him, all of him, for the first time. He was crouching on the ledge of a huge building, white cloak billowing out behind him. He seemed to be concentrating fiercely on something in the distance. I didn't stick around to find out why.


	2. Chapter 2

II

I didn't have much appetite at dinner, and you can imagine why. I should have tried to eat something, though, because my parents instantly noticed something was wrong.

I mumbled excuses and left quickly. I definitely wasn't going to tell them about the blue-eyed boy. Especially my dad. He had enough on his shoulders already without having to know that a Hunter, who would probably stop at nothing to get his hands on a one of us, was now stalking his oldest daughter.

At least Destiny, my thirteen-year-old sister, was probably safe. She had stayed back at our farm down in Virginia, to learn more from John. She, too, knew absolutely nothing about the blue-eyed boy. I had only just told Ariel about it, and she still found it hard to believe that the blue-eyed boy was a Hunter.

"I sensed something…different about him, Morgan!" She had said. "I never would have guessed that he's a Hunter. I felt so sure he was going to help us!"

Help us. As if. The Hunters only help themselves. And if he _wasn't_ a Hunter, what was he? No, he had to be a Hunter. That was the only explanation.

5

That was the second night I dreamed of the blue eyed boy. I was walking through the misty gray woods of my home farm, back in Virginia. I was breathing in the sweet summer air, relishing the cool freshness, when he appeared. He came straight, and I mean _straight_, right out of the shadows. They seemed to melt away where he walked. I tried to step back and draw my knife, but my body wouldn't respond to what my brain commanded. I felt frozen. All I could see were his eyes… I could only stand there, helpless, as he came closer…and closer…and closer….

I jerked upright with a strangled scream, flying out of bed and snatching my knife off of the nightstand. I half expected the blue eyed boy to be standing inside my room, the dream had been so realistic. But there was nothing.

I sank back into bed, my breath still coming in gasps. He's not here, I told myself. He has absolutely no idea where you live. But I stayed awake for the rest of the night.

My thoughts were jumbled around my head, and there was a constant buzzing at the base of my skull. What's wrong with me? I wondered. I felt that I should do _something_, only I couldn't think of anything but those hypnotic, electric blue eyes. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer. It was only five in the morning. Maybe a run would help clear my head. I scribbled a note and left it on the refrigerator before I snuck out via the fire escape. Don't ask me why. I just felt the urge to sneak. The blue eyed boy could be anywhere.

Went for a run and to explore the city.

Be back sometime after lunch. Love you!

Morgan

6

The morning was crisp and cool. It was disturbingly close to that of my dream the night before, except that I was still in the stupid city. I had never liked the city, being brought up on a Virginia farm, but especially now I hated it. I knew my way around the country. I knew all the people and I knew the land like the back of my hand. Better, even. This city was strange, unfamiliar and somehow hostile.

Lost in thought, I wandered through the winding streets until I was jerked awake by a strange vibrating. It took me a moment to realize that it was my newly acquired Samsung Moment. I liked to keep it on vibrate. There was no caller ID, and the number was unfamiliar. I answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Um…hi." The voice on the other line crackled.

"Uh…hi? Who…who is this, exactly?" I asked, mystified.

"Oh uh…oh, oh yeah! Yeah sorry…"

"Uh huh…" I said slowly, waiting for an explanation.

"This is Chris."

I could have laughed. Chris was our neighbor, back in Va. His parents and mine grew up together and he was about my age, but I hadn't really talked to him much. I wondered how he got my number.

"Oh hi! I'm sorry, didn't recognize your voice! So…what's up?"

"Uh…nothin'."

"So…what do you want?"

"Um, nothing. Just calling, to, you know, see what was up."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Well…bye."

He hung up. Well _that_ was weird, I thought. I wonder-_vmmmmmmmmmm_. There it was again. What did he want now? I answered,

not bothering to check the number.

7

"Hey. What is it now?" I tried not to sound too bored. I never had much patience with Chris. He doesn't talk very much, and when he does he never really gets to the point. Usually he's just…there.

"What?"

I almost laughed again. It was Destiny.

'Sorry! I thought you were Chris. He's like stalking me!"

"Really?"

"No. But he got my number somehow, and he just called."

"What did he want?" she asked excitedly.

"I don't really know." I answered honestly. "He just kind of mumbled some lame excuses and hung up. It was weird."

I could picture her shrugging carelessly as she replied, "He does that a lot. But anyhow…Are you having fun in the city? It's so boring down here without you! All I do is train and train and train. The only excitement I've had is when those three stupid teenage guys on four-wheelers who used to trespass on our land went by. They were showing off, chasing each other and going really really fast and tossing up mud everywhere. I couldn't wait for one of them to flip over and hurt himself. But the only thing that happened was that one of the guys lost his hat. The wind blew it off and it landed in the water. He had to go back and get it."

I snickered. "That sounds fun to me."

"Really?"

"No."

"See? You get all the excitement, I bet."

"Not really. Except for the blue eyed boy-"

I swear, it just kind of slipped out. I didn't meant for anybody to know about the boy. I wouldn't have even told Ariel, except for the fact that she dreamed about him all the time so she had the right to know. Destiny was on to me immediately.

"The blue eyed boy? The one that Ariel has visions of? What about

8

him?"

"I-well-I…he…nothing! I just had a dream about him too, the other day, is all." I blustered. Unfortunately, I am a very, very bad liar, and Destiny knew it.

"Puh-leez. You expect me to believe that? Seriously, what happened? Did you see him? Have you met him? Did you kill him? Oh, wow! Ariel is gonna be _so_ mad if you kill him!"

"No, no, no!' I cried. 'I didn't kill him, and even if I tried I probably couldn't. He just…I…well…I think he's a Hunter, and he's kind of…following me…" I confessed.

"What! A _Hunter_! Does Ariel know? He's stalking _you_? He wants to use you! How dare he! You really should go kill him. Now that's what I call excitement! I wish I had a Hunter stalking _me_! I'd make him wish he'd never even seen me! They should know not to mess with Speakers."

"Speakers?"

"Us, genius. People with True Sight. That's what we're called."

"Oh. Speakers. Yeah, I'd…I'd forgotten."

"Don't tell John you forgot! He gets so mad when I treat my lessons like 'play games', as he says. 'This is serious! Real life and death, not some silly little play game!' blah, blah, blah…"

"Uh huh…." I murmured, becoming increasingly distracted. I had the strangest feeling that I was being watched. And there could be only one person who would be watching me now. The blue eyed boy.

"Um yeah, Destiny, that's great! Great, but I have to go now. See ya."

" 'Great'? How is that _great!_ I'm stuck here being bored to death by a psychotic old man while you get to go off and fight the Hunters and you call that _great_? I wish _I-_"

I hung up. I could feel it for real now. His eyes were boring into my back. Blue eyes. Couldn't I go anywhere without being followed by one of _them_? I slipped around the corner and broke into a run.

9

Green Park was near, just beyond the Central Square. That would be a good place to lose him, I thought. I dodged the people scattered around the Square, waved to a fellow runner, tripped over some lady's pet poodle, and, not bothering with the big gate, leaped the wood fence bordering the huge park. If it couldn't stop me, it certainly wouldn't stop the blue eyed boy, but at least I knew the park better than most of the city, because I'd been her once before, when I was much younger, my aunt Jessie had taken me. That wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Worth a shot.

"Wait! Please, stop!" he cried out, somewhere behind me. Like an idiot, I shot a glance over my shoulder, tripped over a tree root, and fell into the water fountain that just happened to be right there. Naturally.

I scrambled upright and dropped into a battle-ready crouch, spitting curses and wishing for my knife. It rarely left my side these days, but by some ill-conceived twist of fate I'd completely forgotten to take it with me this morning. He'd almost caught up with me, holding out his hand to show he was unarmed. He slowed to a lurching trot, eyes rolling wildly in his head and steps wavering erratically. I half-rose from my crouch, now completely confused. First I'd been running from my life from him. Now he looked like he needed an ambulance. Or a padded cell.

"Wait!" he called for one last time. He stopped in front of me, leaning over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. He looked up at me, sweaty strands of hair hanging in front of his eyes.

"Please. I need your help."


	3. Chapter 3

III

I stared at him. _"You_, need _my_ help?"

He nodded enthusiastically, bobbing his head like a stork. "Yes! Yes we do! We need your help. And you need our help to. We are to join forces in Nar Zi the capital and find the Stones. Elsewhise the Seekers will kill us all and dominate the world and enslave humanity and kill all the humans who resist them too and I could go on and on..."

I held up my hands for a halt.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. What? Who's 'we'? and why do we need each other's help? What is Nar Zi? And who are the Seekers?"

He straightened, brushing himself off and shaking his head.

"The Seekers are those who hunt and stalk and search and seek for the Answer. Except besides for the Answer, they also hunt...you, no?"

I could only nod numbly. "You...you mean the Hunters?"

He shrugged. "If that is what you call them then yes. But 'Seekers' is the more appropriate term, for seeking is a stronger word than hunting, and they seek to find the Stones of the Hearts and the Answer that fits them together and then they have the means to destroy everything they want and take over the world and that is what we really really really do not want to happen."

I nodded slowly, pretending I actually had a clue about what he was talking about, although in reality I had not the faintest idea.

"So...these Seeker people...what you call the Hunters...are going to steal your rocks?"

He shook his head emphatically. "No! No no no. They are not rocks. They are _stones_. _The_ stones. The Stones of the Hearts."

Okay, he's insane, I decided. I edged away uneasily, trying to keep him distracted while I prepared my escape. "And...Nar Zi? What is Nar Zi?"

He raised his army proudly, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"The capital! _My_ capital! Over which I am soon to be ruler! But I cannot be ruler until the Seekers are thwarted and the Stones are safe and a new Answer has been found. This is why you must help us. You are Chosen."

He's crazier than a half-starved harpie! I thought, sidling away.

"Um...well good luck with that, but I really gotta go, so, um, see ya around. Bye!"

I turned and ran, sprinting across the long, unbroken stretch of green grass. I was in my element now, taking long, loping strides and clearing the length of the park in less than ten minutes. I hurtled over the other side of the fence, whipping around the corner and into a deserted alley. I leaned against the wall, breath coming in great gulps. He hadn't followed me. That was surprising. Still, I wondered what he had been talking about. The Stones of the Hearts and the Answer that fits them together...where had I heard that before? Maybe...Had John mentioned it to me in one of his lessons, perhaps? Or had I heard it in a dream? But then, if these Stones were so important, I should have remembered more about them, and that would be...I shook my head. No. The guy was crazy. That had to be the only explanation.

That decided, I lurched upright, ready to begin the long walk back home, if I could even remember how to get from the part back to the apartment. I figured that Park Lanexa was maybe ten minutes away, and if I could get to there, then maybe I_-vmmmmm._ My phone again. What now? I picked up, now bothering to check the number because I was expecting either Chris or Destiny, or maybe my parents calling to check up on me.

"Hello?"

Silence. The other line buzzed.

"Hello?" I said again, this time slightly annoyed. Still there was no response.

I was about to hang up when a scratchy voice from the other line rasped, "Hello. I would like to speak with a certain Morgan Leigh Sacoyan, if she is available?"

I shifted uneasily, not liking the tone of this guy's voice, or the way the conversation already seemed to be turning.

"This is she."

The air was filled with raspy laughter, horrible, shuddering, gasps of twisted mirth that seemed to last for hours but were over in seconds. The phone clicked, signaling that I'd lost the call, but I could still hear echoes of that creepy laughter, bouncing off the stone walls.

The air was warm, the morning sun now peeking high above the thick clouds, but suddenly I felt chilled to the bone. I shivered and wrapped my jacket tighter around my body, and headed for home with my head hunched against the wind.

It didn't take me long to run into trouble. Besides the Hunters-or Seekers, as that nutty blue-eyed boy had referred to them-some of the mythical creatures are hostile towards us as well. They don't like humans for encroaching on their natural habitats, and if you can see them or speak their language that just makes it all the worse, because then you can hear all the nasty names they call you.

So you can imagine my dismay when I took a wrong turn at the subway station and ended up smack in the middle of a flight of dragonbirds.

Dragonbirds are much like their older, scarier cousins, the Starlian dragons, except for the fact that the biggest ones measure about a foot in length. That doesn't make them any less formidable, though. They're very territorial and aggressive to the extreme, which I found out the hard way.

I tried to duck out of the doorway of the abandoned warehouse where I'd ended up, my hands help up in a futile attempt to protect myself. I swung out with my arm, catching a large red male full in the chest just as he was about to take a dive toward my face. As you can image, that didn't make him very happy. His mate, a smaller, emerald-green specimen, swooped in from the right, clawing at my hair. I yelped, jerking backwards and flinging

back my arm to try and bat her away. Another mistake. Missing its mark completely, my hand flew past the she-dragon's head and knocked askew a large nest full of-you guessed it-baby dragonbirds.

Shrieking with rage, the tiny little pests rumbled out of the nest, diving at me, and while the wounds they inflicted weren't serious, they still hurt a lot. I yelled, spreading both my arms and pivoting, spinning in a large circle to create a windmill effect and-hopefully-knock away any other tiny offenders. It worked, to an extent. The dragonbirds, still shrieking, fell away from my flailing limbs and melted back into the shadows-save for a few determined nestlings that still clung to my hair and coat-, although I could still see their catlike eyes of many colors, glowering at me from the dark recesses of the shadowy warehouse.

Now completely disoriented from all the spinning, I staggered, stumbling into the wall and vomiting as the world spun around me. I stayed there for a few minutes, chest heaving. Finally I straightened, glaring right back at the vicious little beasts before brushing off the remaining nestlings, ignoring their squeals of outrage, and, still staggering slightly, marched out the warehouse door and into the crisp morning light.

I dashed blood away from a cut on my eyebrows and spat to clear my mouth of bile.

I hadn't had much experience with Northern dragonbirds; the dragonbirds I was used to were their much friendlier and more pleasant Southern cousins.

Well now you know, I told myself grimly, examining my hands. The skin was torn and bloody, broken in more than a dozen places. I closed my eyes, trying to remember my lessons in healing magic. Unfortunately, I had never been much interested in healing, much preferring nature magic. I excelled at lighting things on fire and fighting with magic-although by now I had very little of it left in me-but I dabbled in healing, nothing more. I grimaced, wishing for Destiny and her magical amulet imbued with healing spells. I'd have to bandage my hands when I got home. By now, my parents were used to me coming home with dozens of minor injuries from getting into scrapes with Hunters and mythical creatures, although I'd never been in a major battle before. I hoped to change that soon, though.

Getting home took much longer than I'd first expected. I took several wrong turns and met up with quite a few indignant relatives of the dragonbirds that had ambushed me in the warehouse-obviously word travels fast along the mythalogical grapevine-but I managed to calm them down with a few soothing words in their native tongue, and they didn't seem as steamed as their furious neighbors. Perhaps the others had been so aggressive because they felt the need to protect their young.

By lunchtime I'd made only half the progress I expected to, and my stomach was already rumbling, seeing as I'd lost my breakfast back at the warehouse. I decided to obey the strident commands of my hunger and stop at the nearby pizza parlor to eat.

I slipped inside the crowded room, making my way to the very back of the restaurant and next to the emergency exit, as was customary now, to escape notice. You never knew when _they_were watching. I hid my hands underneath the table so no one would notice the scrapes and dried blood, resolving to find the nearest bathroom as soon as I could and wash them off.

The place was so busy, it took the waiter a full ten minutes for him to make his way to my table. I didn't mind. It gave me plenty of time to study my surroundings.

The parlor was small but neat and orderly, with bright lighting and cheerful workers. I could've chosen worse. The customers were loud and boisterous, but in a happy, cheerful way, not a talk-so-much-and-so-loudly-your-ears-fall-off kind of way. They all looked relatively normal too. That was good.

I stiffened as the door swung open, letting a cool breeze come sweeping in. The noise in the parlor faltered for a moment, then resumed as the mortals continued their conversation. I studied the newcomed closely. It was a young man, tall and brooding, with black hair, black stubble scumbled across his scarred cheeks, black eyes, and a small silver hoop in one ear. He

was dressed all in black, black jeans, black leather jacket, black combat boots, and black bandanna tied over his head like a modern-day pirate. I could see faint bulges and lines in his clothing that suggested hidden weapons. A Hunter. No doubt about it.

I flattened myself against the seat, now grateful for large crowd and their buzz of conversation. I was hardly noticeable, silent and crammed in the corner. Still, I'd better watch my back, and get out of here as soon as possible.

"Miss?" said the waiter. I'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Oh-um..."

I ordered hastily, fumbling in my pocket for money.

"It's on me," a deep voice growled. I looked up in alarm to see the young man dressed in black looming over us.

The waiter blinked. "You're with-"

"Yes."

He swallowed and left.

The dark-eyed man slid into the booth opposite me. I strove to conceal my indignation behind a carefully neutral expression.

"And who might you be?" I asked smoothly.

"Someone who has your...best interests at heart." He replied. His voice was quiet and controlled, with a slightly rough burr accenting it. "Tell me, what do you know of a seventeen-year-old boy named Jacob D'yanTelo, and the chosen ones for which he seeks?"  
My eyes widened momentarily before snapping back into a controlled, unreadable mask. He meant the blue-eyed boy. My voice hardened. "Nothing."

He laughed then. "Nothing? I find that hard to believe. I saw you with the boy this morning. So tell me, _Morgan Leigh Sacoyan_"-he sneered, putting extra emphasis on those last three words-"Tell me everything you know. Where are the Stones? Where is the boy? And who are the Chosen?"

I hissed in anger. "I don't know what you are talking about!" I said, striving to keep my voice down.

His voice deepened into a snarl. "Oh yes you do." He leaned across the table towards me. I could feel his hot breath on my face. Didn't smell so great, either. "Tell me, for the last time-_Where. Is. The. Boy?"_

My temper snapped. I stood up abruptly, shouting, "Look, mister, I don't know _who_ you think you are-" I stopped. The waiter had returned with our food. The parlor was silent. All heads turned towards us.

Suddenly, another, younger man I hadn't noticed, with shaggy brown hair, green eyes and dressed all in black like the Hunter in front of me, stood up and overturned the table he'd been sitting at. Chaos broke out. One of the police officers who'd been dining nearby stood up and intercepted the teenager, her voice clear and angry. Three other people in black-a woman and two men-burst through the back door, with five other cops hot on their heels. The humans started to scream. The waiter hid under the table.

I took advantage of the confusion to slip out through the emergency exit, almost unnoticed. The guy with black eyes noticed, though. He jumped up, lunging towards the door. I gleefully slammed it shut in his face, relishing the moment. Then I turned and walked slam into another Hunter.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

We stood there, gaping at each other for about three seconds. Then he let out a roar and swung his fist at my head. I ducked easily and turned, slamming my heel into his foot. He howled and hopped backward, gripping his foot. I'd hit him hard enough to break at least three of his toes, I think.

He stopped and glared at me, muttering curses. I hesitated just a moment too long, then let out a muffled scream as a great weight hit me in the back,

knocking me to the ground. I elbowed my attacker hard in the stomach. She let out a muted gasp. I flipped myself over, crushing her to the asphalt, before leaping upright to face the other guy. Except now, he had been joined by three others in black, the brown-haired teenager, the black-eyed man, and a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes glinting in triumph.

I crouched, ready to take on them all-and still wishing I'd thought to bring my knife.

A yell sounded above me. All of us looked up. The blue-eyed boy leaped down from a rooftop, white cloak billowing and a naked sword gleaming in his right hand, a long knife in the other. He threw himself at my oppressors, knocking the teenage boy down with one blow from the pommel of his sword. He spun, kicking high and catching the woman across the throat before she had a chance to defend herself.

"Go!" he shouted to me. I hesitated, unwilling to desert him after he'd saved my life, despite the fact that I was wounded and completely unarmed, and he had a giant sword, and a knife to boot. "Go!" he cried again, seeing I had not moved. "Go! I will be fine. Hurry, before the others come for you!"

I bit my lip in vexation, wishing I could help him. Then I turned and ran, which, as you can now see, is my specialty. I'd rarely met anyone who could outpace me, long or short-distance, except for the blue-eyed boy, but then he wasn't even human. Or so I assumed.

I heard more shouting and chanced a look behind me. Two others from the restaurant had converged upon the blue-eyed boy, although he seemed to be doing very well, outnumbered as he was. The first man in black had broken away from the fracas and was chasing after me. His running style was very similar to my own and the blue-eyed boy's, taking long, loping strides that ate up the ground. I ground my teeth and pushed myself even harder. He was still gaining, though. I'd never met anyone who was human and could run this fast before.

I made my decision abruptly, preferring to turn and fight rather than keep running like a coward. I stopped and turned, pivoting on my heel and backfisting the man right across the face. I could hear the sick _crunch_ as his large, slightly hooked nose was broken in three different places.

He howled, doubling over and pressing a hand to his nose as blood poured down his face. I didn't hesitate, delivering a neatly executed knifehand to the base of his neck and then swinging my leg up to bring it crashing into his broken nose and knocking him off balance.

More of his black-clad companions streamed out from hidden alleyways and abandoned buildings, racing towards me and their fallen leader.

I cursed and resumed my lightning pace, wondering where they were all coming from and why they were suddenly so interested in me. I'd never had to deal with this many before.

Three of the Hunters stopped and stopped to help their wounded captain, while the other two continued after me.

Suddenly, I saw the big statue several meters ahead of me, in the middle of a large parkway, and realized I knew where I was. I decided to try and lose them in the large crowds gathered at the Central Square listening to some minor politician make a speech of some sort.

I swerved onto the main street, whipping past the gaping pedestrians and merging into the huge crowds gathered in the Square. I lost the Hunters within minutes.

Gasping, I shoved my way through the crowd, ignoring the indignant looks most of them gave me.

_Vmmmmmmm..._

Gah! Couldn't I go anywhere without someone try to call me?

This time, I checked the number before answering. Chris. Of course. I should have ignored him, or hung up right then. But I didn't, and don't askme why, because I don't know. All common sense deserted me, and I picked up the phone.

"Hi."

"Hi." He sounded rather embarrassed, and I could almost picture him standing there, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "I'm sorry about earlier. That was kinda weird, I know..."

I laughed. "Don't worry about it. Seriously, Chris. It's fine."

"Oh. Okay, well...thanks."

I shrugged. "Sure. I-"

"Hey! You! Stop right there!" cried a voice, carrying above the crowd. I flinched. How had the Hunters found me so easily? I thought I'd left them far behind for good. Evidently not.

The crowd parted before them fearfully as they walked, which was probably a wise thing to do considering they'd stab you as soon as look at you, but it didn't work out very well for me.

"Um, Chris," I said-ducking into the press of onlookers and trying to keep the sudden strain out of my voice, but I don't think it worked very well-"Look, I have to go. Call me back later, okay?"

I could hear the frown in his voice as he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" I practically shouted. "Yes, I'm...I'm fine. I just-I have to go!"

"Why was that guy yelling at you?"

My heart sank like a stone (Oh, isn't that an appropriate term)

"You...you heard that?" I asked faintly.

"Yes. It was you he was yelling at to stop, wasn't it?"

I heaved a sigh. There was obviously no point in lying now. "Yeah. It was."

"Are you in trouble?"

With the sensation of falling, I said, "Yes. I am in trouble. Big trouble. I'm sorry, Chris. I can't explain it now, and you wouldn't believe me if I did. Please, just call me back later." I could almost see him shaking his head stubbornly before he answered.

"No. If you're in danger, shouldn't-"

Too late. The Hunters had spotted me again. I began to run, weaving my way through crowded spectators. When I finally broke through, I went into full throttle, heading for the twisted network of alleys, streets and abandoned buildings towards the edge of the city. No one much went there, except for homeless people, on account of all the rats and shady characters that accumulated there. The place was like a maze, and I'd have a fair chance of losing my pursuers again.

"Chris, just do it!' I cried.

"No!" he replied instantly. "I'm not going to-"

I let out a startled grunt as another black-garbed figure flew out at me. I tried to leap out of the way, but my foot caught on a crack in the ground and I fell heavily. My hand smashed onto the pavement and the phone flew out of my hand, landing with an audible _crack._

"Morgan? Morgan! Are you still there? Are you okay? Mor-"

A heavy black boot descended, crushing my phone into the ground. Chris's voice was abruptly cut off. The black-eyed man, still traces of with dried blood streaking his face, leered down at me. I groaned inwardly, thinking that this time, there was no escape.


	5. Chapter 5

V

Almost as soon as I reached that conclusion, I curled in a ball and rolled, right into the black-eyed man's legs. He grunted in surprise and fell, landing awkwardly. I rolled again and then lashed out with my foot, catching another Hunter on the knee. She groaned and clasped the area with her hand, too preoccupied with her injury to notice that I was already gone.

Surprisingly, my phone suffered no lasting damage, although the connection was still a bit fuzzy. After escaping the two Hunters, I ran into an dead- ended alleyway with garbage piled in the corners. I was used to scaling walls, though, and this one took almost no effort.

Once I dropped to the other side of the wall, out of the dirty complex and away from the Hunters, I risked calling Chris back. I knew he would want an explanation, but I would rather have to explain all of this than have him tell someone what had happened and have everyone know that I was being chased by killers. He picked up immediately.

"Morgan?"

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?" he demanded. "I heard a big banging noise, and lots of yelling, and then your voice got cut off. What happened? I thought that you were-"

I slumped against the wall, exhausted from my many orientations with death. I didn't have the time or the patience to deal with this now.

"Listen, Chris. I was in trouble, but I'm fine now. But you can't tell anybody about what happened, okay?"

"But, if you're in danger, shouldn't you tell someone? You might get hurt, and-"

"Chris!" I snapped. "I'm fine. I can deal with this myself. I'm used to it. But you _can. Not. Tell. Anyone_."

"But _why!"_

"I can't tell you!"

"Then no deal."

I snarled in frustration. "Chris, I swear, if anyone else hears about this..." I let the threat hang in the air, then I said, "If you tell _anyone_ what just happened, I swear I will never talk to you again in my life."

"Fine," he muttered, sounding defeated. "But you still have to tell me why those people were chasing you." I bit my lip in vexation. He had a right to know, I suppose, and if I didn't tell him he still might go and tell someone what happened. I was saved by his mom. I could hear her yelling something at him in the background.

"I'm _coming!"_he yelled back. "Just hang on a second! Hey, Morgan," he continued in a lowered voice, "I have to go. But I still want an explanation. Call me tomorrow, okay? Bye."

He hung up.

I growled under my breath, wondering what had ever possessed me to tell him that I was in danger. Looking back, I winced at my own stupidity. Why did I trust him? I hardly knew him. Of course, there wasn't anything I could do about it now. I'd just have to hope I could come up with a reasonable lie to tell him tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

VI

When I got home, another surprise was waiting for me. I stopped at the vending machine and slipped my hand into my coat pocket, expecting to find nothing but some spare change and old cracker crumbs. A sharp pain pierced the skin in between my thumb and forefinger. I withdrew my hand with a yelp. Clinging to it and squealing ferociously was a tiny purple dragonbird nestling. I still have no idea how he'd managed to stay in there for so long and through so much action without me noticing, but he did, somehow.

Over the course of the next few days, I fed, played with and befriended the tiny fellow, dubbing him Yala, on account of the strange gulping noise he made in his throat whenever he was hungry. He expressed no desire whatsoever to return home, instead choosing to follow me everywhere I went. He took to perching on my shoulder like a miniature parrot.

While my daytime experiences were passably pleasant and quite mild, considering everything I'd been through that Saturday, my dreams the next few nights were dark and troubled. I saw the blue-eyed boy-what had the dark-eyed man called him? Jacob? That was his name, Jacob D'yanTelo. I saw him again, battling the Hunters, wielding a broadsword with a wild look in his electric blue eyes. I saw Chris, half-stunned and bleeding, slumped against the dark-eyed man who was holding a knife to his throat. I saw Destiny and Ariel, ringed in by black-clad enemies, hopelessly outnumbered but defiant to the death. Then, last night, it changed . I was standing in a field, the skies gray and heavy above me. The wind whipped my clothes against my body, rain lashing in my face. The air was filled with the shrieking of the dead, but for some reason, I felt no fear. Only anticipation of what was to come.

I jerked awake that one fateful night, after that dream, unable to even squeak, on account on the hand clamped over my mouth. My eyes flew open, and locked onto those hovering above mine. They were blue.

Jacob D'yanTelo released his hold on my mouth only to put a finger to his, whispering, "Shh. There is no time to explain. Please come."

I sat up groggily. "Whaddayouwant?" I muttered sleepily.

Another, more high-pitched, very familiar voice cut through my sleep-induced stupor.

"Get up, you idiot, we have to go!"

_Destiny?_

There was my sister, standing in the middle of my room, blonde hair sticking out in every direction, stormy blue eyes sparking fire. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder and a knife in her hand.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

She shook her head. "I'll explain everything later. The Hunters found Chris; he's in danger."

I felt like someone had splashed ice-cold water on top of me face. I was fully awake now, every nerve in my body tingling. I looked over at my clock. It read 5:47 a.m.

"What about Mom and Dad?"

She shrugged. "They're safe here. They'll understand. I think. Hurry up and pack. We'll be waiting for you outside." Without another word she turned and slipped out the window. Jacob followed.

I threw on jeans, a black T-shirt and combat boots over my pajamas, slinging my jean jacket over my shoulder. I grabbed my leather backpack from beside my bed and dumped out all the junk that had accumulated over the past couple of months, then yanked open my nightstand drawer. I grabbed an extra pair of jeans, two shirts, another pair of socks, a heavy sweater and some other things and crammed them into my backpack. Then I took my journal, a couple pencils, a pair of sunglasses, a flashlight, my camera bag complete with silver Olympus camera, batteries and iPod, a small pocketknife, my wallet and cell phone. I shoved them into the small leather knapsack I used for traveling, along with some crackers and a full water bottle that I always kept in there. After a moment's hesitation I grabbed my laptop too, and slipped it into the front compartment of my backpack. You never know when you might need it. I strapped a long knife to my thigh and grabbed my baton out of the closet. Lastly, I snuck out to the kitchen and took the note I'd written earlier-it was still taped to the fridge-flipped it over and wrote on the back:

Mom and Dad

I'm sorry I left again. No time to explain. Chris is in danger. Destiny is with me. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. I love you,

Morgan

Then, I went back to my room and walked over to the window. I took one last look around my room. I got the feeling I wouldn't be seeing it again for a long, long time. Then, I took a deep breath and swung my legs out the window, dropping to the ground noiselessly.

Destiny breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally. You took an awfully long time."

"Well, she's here now," said another, familiar voice. I looked up in disbelief.

"Ariel?"

She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tight. "Morgan! I missed you! I can't believe this! It's all so incredible! Jake told me everything, and-"

"I know, I missed you too," I interrupted, "but will someone please tell me what this is all about?"

"Get in the car," said Jake-or was it Jacob?. "We will explain everything, but we have to leave _right now."_

"Who made you leader?" I couldn't help asking.

"Morgan, just please do it," pleaded Ariel. "We really do have to go. I'll tell you what happened on the road."

I still didn't like being ordered around by someone I hardly knew, even if he had saved my life, but I did it anyway. I looked up, noticing for the first time the small, neat, Chevy Traverse sitting alone in the parking lot.

"Where'd you get the nice car?" I asked curiously.

Destiny, Ariel and Jake exchanged glances.

"We..."

"Um..."

"Borrowed it?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "You...borrowed it."

Jake flushed. "The owner had no real need of it. And it was a small price for him to pay, if he, or any other mortal for that matter, wants to live to see the next year. We are their only hope. The rich man can spare a car."

I shrugged. "Well, when you put it like that..."

I slung my luggage in the back and threw myself in after it. Destiny sat shotgun while Jake drove, and Ariel sat in the back with me, already spilling out the story.

"It started like this. I had a dream that you were in trouble and I called Destiny and told her and she said she'd had the exact same dream. So she talked to Chris and wrestled the Hunter-or Seeker, whichever you prefer-attack story out of him, and then we put two and two together and decided to try and help you. We were going to call first and see if you were okay but then I had another dream, and I saw Jake here in it, and he told me that we needed to go find you because the Seekers were coming to get us. So we snuck out in the night and took John's motorcycle to New York to find you, only we broke down in Delaware, and then we ran into Jake and he told us this whole story about him being an elf and living in this alternate reality called Nar Zi-evidently that's where all the mythical creatures come from. Each Clan of creatures has a special leader, and inside each of the Leader's hearts is a Stone. The Stones hold the secrets of each race inside them, and if someone takes all the Stones and puts them together they can destroy or enslave or do whatever they want with the creatures. So the Leaders came up with a Question, and only someone who knows the Answer to the Question can fit them together. Anyway, then a powerful Seeker named Daniel found out about it, and made it his life's goal to find the Stones and the Answer, so he can take control over everything in Nar Zi and use them to take over Earth too. He took over the other Seekers already, and now he commands them. They're already on the move, and they found two of the twelve Stones. So everyone in Nar Zi was in despair and stuff, 'cause the Seekers got so powerful and they were trying to figure out how to stop them, and then Jake's mom, who by the way is the Queen of Nar Zi, anyway she had a dream, and she said she saw these people in it, fighting beside the elves. They were a tall, slender girl with deep red-gold hair and blue eyes; that's you.

Then there was a smaller, younger girl with blonde hair and blue eyes; Destiny, and a girl with black hair and brown eyes; me. And another one we haven't met yet, a tall boy with broad shoulders, close-cropped blonde hair and black eyes. She said they all have special power. Someone else too, a shorter, stocky sixteen-year-old boy, with short brown hair, dark brown eyes and freckles. He's involved too. She saw him fighting beside us."

I felt like I'd just been sucker punched in the gut. A lump formed in my throat. "That sounds like Chris."

She nodded. "That's what I said. Anyway, so Jake's mother said those people could help them, and Jake was just desperate to prove himself, so he decided to go on a quest and find them. First he found me, and then you and Destiny and Chris. He was following you because he knew the Seekers had found you and you didn't have me or Destiny to watch your back here in the city. So then he told us all that and Destiny didn't believe him at first but I did and I backed him up so now she kinda believes and then Chris called us and told us he'd been getting these threats. Like someone called him and told him to watch his back, and the next day they scrawled graffiti on his truck-it said like, In Action or Be Ready or something like that. I didn't tell him anything about this-I think he though it was just his neighbor's kid that hates him or some other annoying vandal. And then we told Jake about it and he thinks the Seekers found out about him and they want to try and use him to get to you."

I shook my head in confusion. "But...how would they know about him? He's just a guy back in Virginia. I hardly even know him."

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they saw you talking to him by chance? I mean, it's not like he's a total stranger."

"But we were never really friends, either."

She bit her lip. "I don't know! Have you talked to him recently?"

"Not really, except for..." my voice trailed off into silence. My eyes

widened as a horrible thought occurred to me. The Hunters/Seekers had been right there when I'd been talking to Chris on the phone. They could well have used magic to trace him back to Virginia and assumed that we were close...I closed my eyes as guilt and shame washed over me like a flood. How could I have been so careless? Now an innocent human was in danger because of me and my stupid risks.

"Morgan?" asked Ariel worriedly. "What is it?"

I scowled, screwing up my face and pouring out the whole story as well as my theory. She wrinkled her nose and leaned back against the seat with a quiet _thump_.

"That's probably what happened. But it's not your fault, Morgan. You never asked Chris to call you. You had nothing to do with it."

"I didn't have to answer the phone."

"Why would you not have? The Hunters were nowhere in sight when he called. There would have been no reason for you _not_ to answer."

"I never had to tell him anything, though!"

"Well, I guess not, but that was still the best thing to do. And whether you told him you were in trouble or not, that still wouldn't have changed the fact that the Seekers found him. None of it was your fault."

I thumped my head against the seat, wincing inwardly. No matter what Ariel said-and no matter how right she was-I still couldn't help feeling guilty.

I helped lead the Hunters to Chris, I thought determinedly. Now I'm going to get him out of this, if it's the last thing I ever do.


	7. Chapter 7

Well, if there was a good note to any of this, we made fairly good time. Ariel shook me awake twelve hours later, after I'd fallen asleep in the middle of the huge explanation and already forgotten almost all of it.. I rolled over and arched my back, stretching my stiff muscles with a muted groan.

"We're almost there," she muttered distractedly.

I yawned. "Almost where? Where are we going? You never really made that clear last night."

She stared out of the window at the thickly clustered trees, her face set. "We're going to find Chris and warn him. Then we're going to Nar Zi to fulfill Jake's prophecy."

I lurched upright, alarmed. "Wait, what? We're going to Nar Zi? Come on, Ariel! We hardly know this guy, and we're already following him off the ends of the earth!"

"Morgan," she said pleadingly, "This is something we have to do! All my dreams pointed to this. I see that now. Jake and his people need us, and we need them."

I jutted out my chin stubbornly. "Why do we need them?"

"To help us find our destiny."

I flopped backward with a harsh laugh. "I can find my own destiny! I don't need to go traipsing off to some alternate reality just because your dream boy magically appears and says I have to."

She flushed angrily. "Morgan, please...please just do this. For me. You know I wouldn't do this unless I was completely convinced that it was something we needed to do."

I bit my lip. That was true. Ariel wasn't the kind of person to just go rushing off and do something incredibly stupid without thinking. She thought stuff through and went to great lengths to find the best solutions.

I opened my mouth to say something, then snapped it shut as the car sverved madly, almost running off the road. I flew backwards, smashing my head against the window.

"Oww..." I moaned softly. Then I yelped and grabbed the back of the seat for support as the car jerked to the side again, almost sending me flying through the back windshield. A loud _crack_ shot through the air. Something loud and deadly flew past the car, almost taking out one of the tires. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a large, black SUV sliding out of a secluded position in the trees.

"Hunters!" yelled Destiny urgently.

"Seekers!" corrected Jake.

"Whatever! Anybody have a pistol?"

We all shook our heads.

"Shotgun? Bomb? Bow and arrows? Throwing knives? Come on! We've gotta have at least some kind of long-distance weapons!"

Ariel scrabbled frantically for the zipper of her backpack. "Here!" she cried, thrusting a large, glowing ball of fire magic into my hands. "Take this!"

"Jake!" I shouted. "Open the window!"

"Why?"

"Just _do_ it!" I screamed.

He flipped up the button. Nothing happened. He flipped it again. Nadda.

"It's broken!" he wailed.

I yelled in frustration, yanking my knife out of its sheath and stabbing through the thin sheet of glass. I leaned precariously out of the window, taking care not to cut myself on the remaining shards of glass. I squinted, taking careful aim before whipping back my hand and launching the fireball expertly. It was a perfect shot, landing square in the middle of the windshield and igniting with a fearful _whoom_! I whooped in exhilaration, shielding my eyes as the vehicle exploded into black fire, scattering bits and pieces of metal all over the roadside.

Someone grabbed the back of my denim jacket and yanked me back inside. An arrow whistled past my head.

I chanced a glance behind me. More darkly clad figures emerged on the scene of the wreck, some searching the wreckage for survivors, some gathering their weapons and shooting after us, most screaming obsceneties.

Destiny pounded the dashboard with her fist. "Step on it, Jake!"

"What do you think I'm trying to?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

I shrugged flippantly. "They can't catch us now, they don't have another-_Ow!"_ I flinched as a sharp pain lanced through my ear. I clapped my

hand to the injured area. Yala emitted a shriek of outrage and protest and clamped down harder. I'd almost forgotten about him. He must've been asleep in my coat pocket the entire time, until the action woke him up cranky. "Ow!" I complained again. "Let me go, you little pest!"

Ariel's eyes widened. "Is that a dragonbird nestling?"

I nodded, wincing. "Little fella hitched a ride home with me the other day and refused to go home." He settled on my shoulder again with a relaxed sigh, satisfied that justice had been served to whomever dared wake him from his nap. I stroked his back gently. "He's probably hungry. I'll find him something to eat later."

Ariel smiled. "He seems like a handful."

I nodded my heartfelt agreement. "He is. But he's my buddy."

"Even when he does that?" she asked, pointing to the blood dripping down my ear. I made a face.

"Well...except for that."

"Hey guys," interrupted Destiny, "you may not have noticed this very important detail, but the Hunters were obviously waiting for us. They had it all planned out. Somehow, they figured it out that we were going to get Chris. So, either the Hunters-excuse me, _Seekers-_" she corrected herself sarcastically, "-in New York sent word ahead to lay a hasty trap for us, or they already came down here, took Chris and now they're after us. Chances are we'll get there and he'll already be gone."

My heart plummeted. I hadn't thought about that. _Stupid, stupid,_

I berated myself. "What about the defenses?" I asked hoarsely. They wouldn't have had time to get there, fight past John's magical barriers and take Chris already."

Jake's lips tightened, his face set in a grimace. "It's a race, then," he murmured grimly. "A race to see who gets to the boy first."

My hand contracted around the knife handle. I don't know why I was so eager to help Chris. If you'd asked me two weeks back, I would've said I had no special attachment to him whatsoever. But ever since he called, I'd

started thinking...I shook my head, jolted back into reality by a harsh thrumming sound, coming closer and closer. My eyes widened. "That's gotta be the Seekers."

Jake nodded. "Apparently, they brought a helicopter as well as an SUV." He swerved, turning onto a smaller road branching off the main one. "We cannot lead them straight to the boy. I'll try to lose them around here. Then, come nightfall, they will hopefully have lost our trail and _then_ we will find the boy, Fates willing."

I gazed up at the large window directly above my head, fifteen feet high. We'd done just that, going along with Jake's plan and managing to lost the Seekers at last, through use of a very, very clever escape spell and a headlong plunge into an icy lake. Now we were standing in the sparse undergrowth directly beneath Chris's window that looked out into the woods.

I tapped the wood experimentally. "Jake, give me a boost."

He grunted and complied, lacing his fingers together to form a small step. As soon as I was in position he lifted his hands high over his head (with me still standing on them), an impressive display of his supernatural strength. However, I still fell a couple feet short. I looked back at him and shook my head silently. He lowered me down.

"Okay," I whispered, "That's not going to work. What's Plan B?"

That was when Destiny surprised us all by reaching into her backpack and pulling out a long rope, complete with knots for handholds and a grappling hook at one end. I stared at her.

"Where did you get that?"

She grinned mischeviously. "I, erm, _liberated_ it from John's tool shed, before we left. I thought we might need it, and hey, I was right. Although I don't think John's going to be real stoked."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter now. Thanks."

I took it, testing the weight experimentally. "Nice," I said approvingly. I whirled it above my head a few times, then tossed. It caught on the open

window neatly. I tugged. It stayed put.

"Wish me luck," I said, grinning wolfishly. I tossed my hair back and swarmed up the rope like an expert, hauling myself in through the window in record time. I swung my legs inside, gazing around. Chris was asleep in his bed directly to my left. I tiptoed over.

"Chris!" No reaction. "Chris!" I said again, this time a little louder. He muttered something in his sleep and rolled over. I hissed with impatience, clamping my hand over his mouth and shaking him lightly. _"Chris!"_ His eyes flew open. He sat up with a start and tried to say something. I removed my hand from his mouth, wiping in on my shirt.

"_Morgan?"_ he whispered incredulously.

"No, it's the Easter Bunny!" I replied sarcastically. "Of course it's Morgan!"

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, looking up at me uneasily. "Um...what are you doing in my room?"

"Listen, Chris," I said quietly, "I know this is going to sound crazy. But we have to go _right now."_

"Go where?"

I sucked in a breath. "There's no time to explain. Please, just trust me on this one. Get out of bed, get dressed, pack and be ready to leave in five minutes."

He shook his head confusedly. "Why? Does this have to do with whatever you were talking about that day, when I called you and you said you

couldn't tell me anything?"

I nodded. "I'll explain everything as soon as we get out of here. Please, Chris. It's life and death."

He hesitated, then nodded his agreement. I exhaled in relief.

"Thank you." I ran to the window, leaning out.

"Well?" called Jake quietly. "How goes it?"

"He's coming," I called back. 'How much time do we have left?"

He looked down at the watch on his wrist, then shrugged eloquently. "I cannot say. The Seekers could be here any minute, though. They probably already know where he lives. Tell your boyfriend to hurry."

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

He grinned up at me, white teeth flashing in the dark and blue eyes glowing. "Whatever you say."

I growled under my breath before turning back to Chris. He'd thrown on jeans, a dark gray t-shirt and boots. A black and green backpack was slung over one shoulder, the ever-present camouflage baseball cap set sideways over his short brown hair.

"I'm ready," he said. I nodded. I still couldn't believe I'd managed to convince him so easily.

He caught my arm in one hand just as I swung my legs over the windowsill. I glanced back at him.

"What is it?"

He looked me straight in the eye. "You know I wouldn't do this for anyone but you, Morgan."

I bit my lip and looked away. "Yeah."

We dropped silently to the ground. Chris stood up, squaring his shoulders determinedly and looked around slowly at my companions, taking in their battered appearance and weapons in hand. His eyes narrowed as his gaze rested briefly on Jake before flitting away.

"So. You going to tell me who this guy is, what you're all doing here, and where we're supposed to be going?"

"Well..." I said carefully.

"What would you say," chipped in Destiny, "If we told you, that our world is in danger, and we're the only ones who can save it?"

A small frown crossed his face. "Um...you mean like global warming or something?"

"What? No!" I broke in exasperatedly.

"Look," said Jake impatiently, "This is all very nice, but we have to leave _now_. The Seekers will be here any minute. Get in the car."

Chris looked him up and down, his jaw jutting out mulishly. "Who are you, and who put you in charge?"

Jake bared his teeth. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Guys, come _on_!" insisted Ariel. "Jake, leave him alone."

"Chris," I added, "Listen to him. He knows what he's doing. I think."

"Uh-huh. You think. That's reassuring..."

_Crack!_ Something rustled in the woods. I grabbed his arm and pulled him along with me as we broke into a run, heading for the small clearing around the bend where we'd parked.

Jake yanked open the car door and jammed the key into the ignition. Nothing happened.

"It won't start!"

"And look, all the tires are flat!" added Destiny.

"The Seekers got here before we did," said Ariel, despair raw in her voice.

"We could take my truck," suggested Chris. "It's right-"

His voice was abruptly cut off as I tackled him, knocking him to the ground. Something sharp flew above my head, narrowly missing us both, and impaled itself in a tree three feet away.

I leaped to my feet, still holding Chris's hand, and pulled him along with me as we made for the dark silver Chevy parked nearby. He opened the

driver's side door as Destiny, Ariel and Jake piled in the back.

"Oh, crap," he muttured. "Where's the key?"

I could have hit him.

"You usually leave your keys in the ignition in the middle of the night?" asked Jake curiously.

Chris flushed. "This isn't the city! It's not like someone's going to steal it."

"I bet four hours ago you would've said 'It's not like a bunch of bloodthirsty, power-hungry gangsters bent on world domination are going to appear out of nowhere and try to kill me!' "

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

"It means if you're not stupid you'll always be prepared for the unex-"

"It _means_ SHUT UP AND FIND THE FRICKIN KEYS BEFORE WE ALL GET FRICKIN KILLED!" shouted Destiny.

Chris fumbled around in the truck frantically. "They've gotta be in here somewhere..."

I tensed as three shadowy figures emerged from the forest and sprinted towards us with lighting speed. I drew my baton and turned to fight.

The first figure lunged towards Chris. I stepped in front of him, parrying his first strike with my baton. He hardly had time to look surpised before I whipped out my knife and stabbed him in the neck. He crumpled to the ground. I whirled, kicking another Hunter in the chest. He flew backwards. The third one came up behind me, leaping on my back like a deranged spider monkey. I went down and rolled, using the same trick I'd used on the Seeker girl, back in New York. It worked against this guy too. I rolled again, breaking free of his weakened hold, and bounced to me feet, whirling the baton in front of me.

Two other Seekers emerged from the trees, but they looked like they were second-guessing their initial impulse-which was to attack-after they'd seen me take down their partners.

"Here they are!" I heard Chris say behind me. "I must've left 'em in my pocket the other day..."

They advanced then, seemingly decided. The first one, a woman, swung her sword experimentally at my head. I blocked her with my baton, pushed up, then stepped in and kicked the other guy between the legs. He went down. I stepped forward again and somehow got the now unarmed woman in a chokehold. Her face turned purple and I shoved her backwards almost contemptously.

By now, Chris had managed to find the keys, start the truck and turn it around into go position. The engine rumbled into life.

One of the Seekers struggled to rise, moaning. I knocked him over the head with the metal knob at the top of my baton. He fell again.

Chris held open the passenger side door with one hand and steered with the other.

"Morgan!" he cried urgently. "Get in! Quick!"

I bashed the one guy over the head one more time, just to be safe, then turned and leaped into the truck. Chris grabbed my hand and pulled me in safely. I slammed the door and we hauled freight.

For a while, we just drove in silence, too shaken to say anything. Chris appeared calm, but I could see his hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

After a while, Jake said, "You should let me drive for a while. I'm older."

"It's my truck," Chris retorted instantly.

That was the only conversation we had for a while.

Finally, I said, "Chris, you really should let Jake drive now. You're exhausted."

His hands gripped the wheel even tighter, if at all possible. "I'm fine."

I shook my head stubbornly. "No you're not. None of us are. But Jake gets tired a lot slower because he's immortal."

He floored the brakes and shifted in his seat to rest his disbelieving gaze on me. "He's _what?"_

I sighed inwardly. "Immortal. He's an elf."

"And I suppose next you'll be telling me that the world is coming to an end, you're all superhumans and that pigs fly."

There was an awkward silence.

"Well...yes." said Ariel after a while.

"Not the flying pigs part," put in Destiny helpfully. "But Jake's like superhuman; I'm not sure about the rest of us, and the world is going to come to an end if we don't stop the Seekers."

Chris's lips tightened. "Uh-huh. And...are the Seekers the people that attacked us, sabotaged your car, chased Morgan back in the city and left me the threatening notes?"

"Yes. Chris, let Jake drive, and you can take a break while I give you the full story, okay?"

"Fine," he muttured, pulling over to the side of the road. He unbuckled the belt and climbed over the backseat. He stopped with one leg over the seat and jabbed a finger in Jake's direction. "But if he wrecks my truck..."

"He won't," said Ariel immediately.

We all looked at her. She flushed.

"I mean...you won't, will you, Jake?"

He shrugged. "Well, that _was_ the original intent-"

"_Jake!"_

"-but since you do not want me to, I shall refrain."

Chris snorted quietly, unable to keep himself from having the last word. " 'I shall refrain'. Seriously, who talks like that anymore?"

"_I_ do_,"_ said Jake, eyes flashing. "Want to make something of it?"

Chris balled his fists. "Why not?"

"Why don't the both of you _shut up_ and try to do something _constructive_!" I yelled furiously. "We haven't even been on the road for a full day and I'm

already sick of you two arguing!"

Chris scowled and looked away. Jake said nothing, a light of anger still gleaming in his eyes. Silence reigned for three whole minutes.

Finally, Jake grunted and pulled himself into the drivers seat. Chris flopped down next to me.

"So," he mumbled, "What's the deal with this guy Jake being 'immortal' and talking like someone from the sixteenth century and the Seeker people trying to destroy the world?"

"Well," I began slowly and carefully, "It all started like this..."

And I proceeded to tell him about how I had first discovered my power when I was seven years old, been apprenticed to John, grown up fighting Seekers, learning magic and speaking to creatures people thought only existed in fairy tales. I told him everything about the attacks and dreams in New York. Ariel chipped in and helped me explain the story on how she and Destiny had come to find me, and we all contributed to the details of the Nar Zi-prophecy-Stones of Hearts part.

He sat there throughout the story, leaning back against the seat with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised and a funny little half-smile playing across his face. There was a long silence afterwards.

"Look," I said eventually, "Do you believe us or not?"

A small frown crossed his face. He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Well...Under normal circumstances I probably wouldn't, buuut then we got attacked, and there's all that stuff that happened and I guess it makes sense..."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "So you'll come with us to Nar Zi?"

He shrugged. "Sounds like fun. And even if I said no, I wouldn't really have a choice, now would I?"

"Um..." Ariel looked sheepish. "Well..."

Destiny tossed her head and grinned impishly. "Nope. We'd knock you out and drag you there."

He grinned too. "Figures."

I don't remember much after that. I think I must've dozed off. I think all of us did, except for Jake because he was driving. Fighting Seekers takes a lot out of you. Plus terror is physically exhausting along with being, well, terrifying.

Anyway, my eyes flickered open a couple hours later. Jake was still at the wheel, with Ariel sitting now shotgun. Destiny was still asleep in between them. I was stretched out in the back, taking up two seats and leaning against Chr-Whoa! Leaning against Chris? I jerked up, fully awake now, as I realized that was exactly what I'd been doing.

My ears burned. I looked around, hoping no one else had noticed. Ariel looked over the back seat and winked, mouthing, _You're fine._

I relaxed. My face still felt like it was on fire, but I strove to ignore it and act like nothing had happened.

I stared out the window at the trees going by in a green blur.

"Where are we?"

"The mountains," replied Jake grimly.

"Why?" I wanted to know. Ariel answered this time.

"There's an entrance to Nar Zi hidden here somewhere. We would've taken the one Jake used to get here, except the Seekers found it. This one is pretty old and hasn't been used in forever, so hopefully they won't know about it."

"But," said Jake dishearteningly, "The trick is finding it."

"You don't know where it is?" I demanded incredulously.

"Well...no, not really."

I rolled my eyes. "Great. So now we're just going to...what? Stop on the side of the road and go traipsing off in the freezing cold mountains with no tent or blankets, minimal protection, and hardly any food or money for God knows how long, looking for a portal that might not even be there

anymore?"

"Yep."

I snorted mirthlessly. "Wonderful."

Silence. Then I asked, "What are we going to do with the truck?"

Jake shrugged. "It is of no great concern right now."

"You know Chris isn't going to just leave it. We'd have to knock him out and drag him like Destiny said."

"Not a problem," said Jake cheerfully, hefting my baton.

"Hey, give that back!" I said, snatching it from him.

"What kind of weapon is that, anyway?" he asked, not at all put out.

I fingered the handle. "A baton."

"Where did you get it? I've never seen anything like it before."

"I made it."

"All by yourself? How? What gave you the idea? Does it have any special fighting advantages?"

I shrugged. My baton was nothing special. A thick, round piece of wood with an iron core, about as long as my arm, with a knob of steel on one end and a hooklike shape on the other. A leather handhold, scarred by many battles, resided four-and-a-half inches up from the hook.

"I got the idea from a book I read, a long time ago," I explained. "I found a branch in the forest, took it home, treated it, drilled a hole through the center and slipped a long piece of iron through the middle so it won't break. The steel knob I enchanted to merge with the wood so it never comes off, and the hook I carved myself. The handle is leather cord that I wrapped around the branch."

"How did you treat it?"

"With magic."

"Nice." He said approvingly. "You can do a lot of things with this. You could bash people on the head, block a sword stroke, use it as a staff, etcetera. Very nice."

"Thanks. But you're still not hitting Chris with it."

"Why not?" Now he was put out.

"You were supposed to bring us all back in one piece, remember?" said Ariel. "That was the point."

Jake grunted. "He would still be in one piece, just heavily concussed and possibly in a vegatative sta-"

He snapped his mouth shut when Chris sat up, blinking groggily. "Huh? Say what? What are we doing?" he slurred.

"Nothing, Chris." I said, managing to keep a straight face.

"Oh." He leaned back again. "Cool. Now what?"

Jake, Ariel and I exchanged glances. "Well..."

"We're going in the mountains," said Jake.

Chris looked confused. "Like...actually _in_ the mounains?"

We all nodded.

"What about my truck?"

"You have to leave it," said Jake bluntly.

Boy, that got his attention. "What?" he demanded, outraged. "Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how much I payed for this truck?"

Jake's hand drifted towards my baton again. Ariel slapped it away. He gave her a dirty look, then said, "Well we can't take it and we're not leaving you. So you'll have to-"

Chris was already shaking his head. He sat back in the seat, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Nope. Not leaving it."

"Chris," said Ariel pleadingly, "We have to. Look, we'll hide it somewhere and you can keep the keys, or we'll bury them, so no one will try and steal it. With luck, they'll never find it, and we can come back here as soon as possible and find a safe place for it to stay until the war is over."

His jaw was jutting out again. "No."

Jake glanced longingly at the baton. I glared at him until he looked away. Then I put a hand on Chris's shoulder. His gaze softened just a little.

"Then what else are we going to do with it?" I asked him, trying to be reasonable. "We can't take it with us, we certainly can't go back home, we can't just wander around here aimlessly until the Seekers find us and kill us. There's really nothing else we _can_ do. Our best bet is to leave it hidden here somewhere, then as soon as we're done with the war or we come back to Earth for a mission or something, we'll go get it and put it somewhere safe."

He bit his lip. "Well..." he looked at Jake. "How long are we staying in Nar Zi?"

"Depends," Jake said loftily. "But not that long. We will have to come back here soon anyway, to find the other boy my mother spoke of in her dream."

He sighed, looking defeated. "Fine. But we have to hide it _really well_, and the _very first thing_ I'm doing when we get back here will be to find it. And I'm not burying the keys either; I'm keeping them with me."

I sat back, relieved.

"Good," said Jake.

"So...when are we going?" Chris asked.

He pulled over to the side. "Right now's as good a time as any. I think I remember this place from a map, too."

Ariel shook Destiny awake. The rest of us gathered our things.

I pushed open the door and stepped out into the chilly morning air.

We pushed the truck as far in the woods as it would go, then covered it with leaves, dirt and tree branches.

The others stepped back to admire the camouflage, while I gazed up at the bleak terrain. The mountains were cold and desolate, with no other living thing in sight save for an eagle soaring high above. Its shrieking call echoed among the rocky crags. The thick pine forest thinned out near the top, baring snowy peaks over which the rising sun shone brilliantly.

Chris stood next to me, squaring his shoulders as he, too, examined our new surroundings (after casting several longing glances back towards his

truck).

"Show time," I murmured, half to myself.

Jake shouldered his backpack, looking determined. "Yep. Come on, you guys.

"Let's roll."


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

Well, by now you can see clearly what a (.) _brilliant_ (.) planner our fearless leader turned out to be. We were lost within a matter of minutes. Jake tried to keep our spirits up as we trudged on for hours.

"Well, don't you humans always say you can't find something you don't know where it is if you're not lost too? Or something like that."

I sighed. "No, Jake. I'm pretty sure you just made that up."

"Oh." He screwed up his face. "I thought I'd heard that somewhere before. Guess not."

Chris stumbled, catching himself on a branch. It broke off, though, and he tumbled into a pile of thick, fluffy snow. He cursed, spluttering and tryingto haul himself out. I couldn't help it. I laughed. He stopped halfway up and gave me an injured look.

"I'm slowly freezing to death stuck in a gigantic heap of freezing snow and you're _laughing_ at me?" he asked, feigning resigned sorrow. "And here I thought you were my friend."

I lifted a foot and shoved him back in.

"Why is it even snowing in spring?" demanded Destiny. "It's supposed to be all warm and green and sunshine-y! What's happening to the world?" she moaned dramatically.

Jake shrugged unconcernedly. "You cannot expect perfection all the

time. Especially in nature."

"Why does he always have the best explanations for everything?" she muttered to herself.

I shoved her over good-naturedly. "It's because over the past few hundred years he's been alive, his mind has accumulated millions of useless little facts that swim around inside his tiny brain and occasionally clutter together to somehow form a relatively cohort answer. Only by pure chance does it happen to make sense."

"Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh," she said, dragging out the word and nodding slowly. _"Now_ I understand." She flashed a brilliant smile. "I always wondered how he got this far in life."

Chris grunted. "It's because he decided he's all "Oh-I'm-Mr.-Extraordinary,-follow-me-off-the-ends-of-the-earth", and then somehow managed to convince himself it was true."

"Hey, don't be a hater!" said Jake cheerfully, not at all put down by our mocking banter.

I shrugged. "It's hard not to b-" my words were abruptly cut off by a blanket of something cold and wet as it splattered across my already-half-frozen face. I shook like a dog, trying to claw snow off of my face, before losing my balance and staggering into another heap of thick white flakes.

"Okay, which one of you threw that thing?" I demanded. My vision was still blurred by white, but even then I could see the wicked grin that spread across Chris's freckled face.

"Now, who would go and do something like that?" he wondered out loud, his innocent tone belied by the mischief gleaming in his wide brown eyes.

"Snowball fight!" yelled Destiny, needing no other encouragement. She flew at Chris, tackling him around the knees and knocking him to the ground. Ariel scooped up a two handfuls of snow and dumped them on her head. Jake backed up, his hands outstretched and palms facing forward in a

peace gesture.

"Nonono. Not getting involved..."

I laughed and pulled myself upright, wrapping my arms around Ariel's shoulders and tugging her backwards.

Destiny rolled and kicked viciously at a small, snow-laden pine, dumping its load on top of all of us.

I cracked up, pointing at Chris as he stood unsteadily, now completely covered in powdery white.

"You look like the abominable snow-monster!' I teased.

He flapped his arms belatedly. "Grrr. I will eat you all."

Jake stood a safe distance away, calling, "This is all very nice, but we are supposed to be on a quest to save the world, not goofing off like moon-addled snow hares."

"Moon-addled snow hare yourself!" retorted Ariel happily, whipping out the snowball she'd been hiding behind her back and scoring a perfect shot right between his eyes. He retreated hastily, shaking his head.

"Nooooo. I said I wasn't getting involved-_umph!"_ he grunted in surprise as Destiny shot out from behind a tree and leaped on his back like a spider monkey, knocking him face-down in the snow. She sat on his back triumphantly, smashing a gigantic snowball into the back of his head.

"There," she said, tossing her hair. "Now we're even, Mr.-Extraordinary-follow-me-off-the-ends-of-the-earth."

He moaned. "Wonderful. Now I match the rest of you."

Ariel bent and helped him up, dusting snow off of his thick sweater. He surveyed himself with disgust. "I'm never going to live this one down. And hey, now look at us. Once this snow melts we shall be completely soaked, and even colder than before, if at all possible. Now we'll have to waste more time setting up camp and building a fire so we can dry off and warm up. Nice going."

Chris didn't look overly concerned.

"You dragged us off on this stupid quest. We deserve a little fun."

Destiny nodded agreement. Ariel and I exchanged glances and said nothing.

We did find a nice spot to make camp. A large birch tree stood in the side of a hill, facing down with a large hollow carved in the trunk. The thick branches overhead, downward-facing lee and snow built up around the sides all contributed to create a cozy shelter.

We stripped off our wet outer layers of clothing and lay them across a low branch to dry out.

Jake pointed to the small pile of twigs and grass Destiny had gathered and dried with magic for kindling. With a word, it burst into flame. Chris jumped, looking startled.

"How did you do that?"

Jake grinned wolfishly, obviously relishing any chance to disgruntle the cocky human boy. "Magic."

Chris's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

I elbowed him gently. "Come on, Chris. You've been threatened by Seekers, met an elf, heard all about the mystical land where all the fairy tale creatures live, and snuck away on a secret quest to save the world, but magic surprises you?"

He shrugged uneasily. "You can't expect a guy to be able to take it all in one stride, not even me."

I hugged the thin flannel shirt I was wearing tighter around my shoulders, staring into the sparks that rose from the fire as Ariel fed it more dried wood. "True."

His next words were no surprise. "Hey, do we have any food?"

Jake leaned over and unzipped his backpack, rummaging around thoughtfully. "I think so. I made sure to stock up on snacks before we left. Mortal food is good."

He searched around some more, tossing out several small boxes of crackers, raisins, candy, a bag of chips, and a couple pieces of beef jerky. Ariel picked one up and held it at arms length.

"_These_ are your provisions?" she asked in disbelief. "Junk food?"

"Hang on," he mumbled, his voice somewhat muffled due to the fact that his head was now completely submerged inside the backpack. "I know I put some in here somewhere..."

Chris reached out and snagged a candy bar from the snow. "Junk food is fine with me!" he said cheerfully.

I gave him a dirty look. "Not for traveling provisions!"

He shrugged. "Hey, ya gotta try and make the best out of the situation, right?"

Nearby, Jake finally disentangled himself from the backpack, grinning from ear to ear and waving aloft a tin bottle triumphantly. "I found it!"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Squeez cheez?"

Jake nodded. "The weird orange stuff in a can that tastes like cheese and you spray it on crackers."

Destiny smothered a grin. "A can that tastes like cheese?"

Jake frowned. "No...It's in a can and it tastes like cheese. What is funny?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing, Jake."

Ariel and I shook our heads at each other.

We all foraged around in our backpacks and dug out anything edible we could find. All together, we came up with six boxes of raisins, five pieces of beef jerky, seven candy bars, nine packs of crackers, three water bottles, the can of cheese spray, eight peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches courtesy of ever-thoughtful Ariel, a two packs of hot dogs (Nice thinking, Destiny! Although you have to wonder how they'd taste after spending two or three days inside her backpack) and eight pieces of bubble gum.

Jake quickly took charge. "Okay, let's see. Destiny, go find me five

long sticks that I can sharpen and make into pokers. Ariel, pack up the rest of the food. Chris, you can find more firewood and bring it back here, and I'll use magic to dry it."

I stood up quickly before he could assign me a job too, determined to retain my independence. "I'll scout around and see if we're being followed."

Jake's eyes narrow briefly in annoyance, before he nodded in a sharp, birdlike motion. "All right."

I pulled my heavy leather jacket back on over my flannel shirt, wrapping it tight around my shoulders. My gloves came afterwards, and then my heavy waterproof combat boots. I spun my baton expertly. "Come on, Chris," I called over my shoulder. "You can help me scout, and look for firewood on the way."

Jake's scowl deepened, but he said nothing.

Chris pulled himself to his feet and cracked his knuckles. "Alrighty," he said, flashing a grin. "Lets go."

I stepped lightly on the snow, careful not to leave deep prints that would take hours to fill up again. Footprints were nothing I couldn't take care of with magic, but I still wasn't up to full strength, and I always reserve most of my magic for emergencies, since it was so rare and useful. Evidently this wasn't the case with Jake, but then again, he was an elf. I wondered absently if they would be able to give me more of it in Nar Zi, and teach me how to use it better and maybe even create more. I'd heard of powerful people who could make their own magic, but it was an extremely rare and coveted art, and those who knew didn't like the share their secrets.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Chris asked, cutting through my thoughtful reverie.

"Anything," I replied, "like footprints, scuffed up snow, broken twigs, crushed plants...that kind of thing. We might even see the Seekers themselves. They're are usually expert trackers and stalkers, so they don't leave behind very many clues as to where they've been, but even they can

make mistakes. We're retracing our tracks and looking for signs of fresh movement. And firewood."

"Okay. Cool." He thought for a while before asking his next question.

"So..." he began slowly, "what's it been like, growing up all supernatural and stuff? Did you ever get to do...like...normal things? Or did you spend all your time fighting bad guys and using magic and talking to elves and researching alternate realities and all?"

I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the ground. "I don't know. For me...doing all that stuff _is_ normal. I mean...I've never known anything else."

He looked sympathetic. "That's tough."

I shrugged again. "I guess. But I'm used to it."

"Still, that can't have been very fun. Like, never being able to anywhere or do anything without fear of being attacked."

"I never said it was fun."

He bit his lip, looking like he wished he hasn't spoken. I clapped him on the shoulder.

"It doesn't matter. Come on, lets keep looking."

We searched for about an hour, but found no traces of being followed, and gathered several large, fallen branches along the way back.

We were greeted by the aroma of hot meat and sizzling, pungent grease as soon as we stepped into camp. I sniffed appreciatively as Chris dropped his load in front of Jake.

"Okay, magic dude. You take it from here," he said cheerfully. "I'm starving."

I reached for the hot dog impaled on a poked that Ariel shoved my direction, then hesitated and glanced at Jake. "Won't the Seekers smell this too? Not to mention all the hungry scavengers in the area."

He winked at me, leaning back against the huge tree trunk. "You do a lot of things when wielded properly."

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for a broader explanation. When none came, I shrugged and reached for the extended poker. I was settling back to eat when I paused again with the food halfway to my mouth, as I realized something else.

"There's no smoke."

Jake grinned. "What did I tell you?" he asked, twirling his empty poker lazily. "Where would we be without magic?"

Destiny shrugged as she shoveled a handful of raisins into her mouth. "Dead, probably. Or rotting somewhere inside Daniel's prisons."

Chris looked up from his supper. "Daniel?"

She nodded. "You know, the guy in charge of all the Seekers? The one who wants to take over the world and kill us all?"

"Oh. That guy."

"Yep. That guy."

"He sure sounds friendly," said Chris, obviously not taking the thought of our archenemy seriously. "How d'yreckon he keeps control over all of his soldiers? Maybe he's really really fat, and just sits on them if they disagree with him."

Jake stared broodingly into the flames, their bright reflections dancing in his cat eyes. When it came, his voice seemed flat, and distant. "They follow because they must. Some because they enjoy killing and inspiring fear in innocent people, and he gives them ample opportunity to do so. Most because they are too afraid to do anything else. Precious few dare to risk his wrath. They say he is mad with power, and thirsts for blood and vengeance. His mind has twisted far beyond repair, and the damage he has wrought is unrepairable. Only his death can free the world of such a dark and venemous blight, perhaps not even that, for his spirit will haunt our memories forever."

Silence.

Chris winced. "Um. That too."

And after that, no one else knew what to say.

The glowing moon was arching high above the leafless trees before Jake finally yawned and stretched.

"We better get some sleep, then," he mumbled tiredly. "I'll take first watch. Destiny, you take second, Ariel third-"

"-and I'll take fourth and last," I finished firmly.

Jake frowned. "What about the human boy?"

Chris looked up, annoyed. 'Hey, 'the human boy' has a name, you know."

Jake ignored him. "Just because he isn't trained or an elf doesn't mean he can shirk responsibility."

"I wasn't going to!" snapped Chris instantly.

I scowled, stirring the glowing embers that remained of the fire with a long stick. "I'm not saying he should shirk responsibility, and he hasn't and isn't going to. I'm saying he's not used to this, and he might fall asleep on watch."

Chris looked indignant. "I would not!"

I turned my head to look at him. "It's harder than it seems, Chris. I really think you should sleep this one out. You can take first watch tomorrow, once you're a bit more accustomed to traveling."

He bit his lip and looked down, refusing to meet my eyes. "Fine."

He wrapped himself in the thin blanket that Jake had provided-one for each of us-and turned on his side, clearly still nettled.

I sighed and pulled my now-dry coat off of the branch where it hung with the others, bundling it up to make a pillow. Destiny and Ariel settled down to sleep as well.

Jake clambered up to sit on a low, thick branch, one leg swinging down, the other bent up in front of him. His right hand rested on his unsheathed sword laying on his lap, his left leaning against the tree trunk, the epitome of

watchfulness. His silhouette stood out in stark contrast against the eerie light of the swollen moon reflecting off of the snowy landscape.

I lay on my back, head resting against the improvised pillow, my hands clasped together with fingers interlaced on top of of my chest. I stared up at the starry blanket spreading across the indigo sky and shining through the cold white branches of the birch. I could hear the steady breathing of my companions, Ariel's quiet and calm, Destiny's shallow and faster-paced-she'd always been a restless sleeper-and Chris's, deep, strong and steady.

I ran over the past few days' events in my mind. Everything had happened so fast. My head was still spinning. I'd never imagined anything like this could happen to me. Running away, meeting Jake, learning about my 'true destiny', and finding Chris...somehow, that had been the best part of all. Finding Chris again. I had no idea how a former childhood acquaintance had come to mean so much to me, and so quickly, but somehow he had, and now I realized I would gladly give my life to protect him from the Seekers. How had we come so far so soon? I didn't know then, and I still don't. All I knew was, lying there beneath the stars, with the bitter chill of winter gnawing at my bones despite the fire and close proximity of the friends surrounding me, I was, for perhaps the first time in my life, content.


	9. Chapter 9

IX

The first rays of the morning sun finally appeared, peeking over the pale, bare branches of the snowswept forest. I groaned and stretched, screwing up my face against the bright light that flooded the mountainside. My stiff muscles shrieked their protest, cramped from staying in the same position for so long. I stumbled out of the tree and over to the campfire. I knelt beside Chris and gently shook him awake. His eyes flew open.

"Whoa! Whuzzat! Oh...hi Morgan. God, it's bright," he complained, squinting and shielding his eyes as he sat up halfway. "Is it morning already?"

I nodded, moving on to Ariel's side. "Yep. Come on, sleepyhead. Time to wake up and get a move on."

She moaned softly and rolled over onto her back. "Ow. Stupid sun. Too bright."

"Tell me about it," Chris grumbled in agreement.

Jake was already awake and gathering up the supplies scattered around the campsite. He picked up a handful of candy wrappers and stuffed them into the side pocket of his backpack, to throw away later.

Destiny sat up, shaking her head to clear it. "Brr! It's cold!"

Jake sighed, as if expecting this. "Yes. It appears that the blankets I brought won't be enough isolation against the cold."

"So, Mister Extraordinary," said Chris sarcastically as he sat up and shivered, "what other brilliant tricks do you happen to have up your sleeve? What's your plan now, O Genius? Magic air blankets?"

Jake thought for a moment. "I haven't decided yet. We'll clean up camp and eat on the walk up while we discuss what to do."

We reorganized our supplies quickly, distrubuting food, clothes and weapons evenly among the five of us. Jake kicked the remains of the fire apart, scattering twigs and ashes across the snow. Destiny handed a backpack with food and blankets to each of us, along with some additional gear and the knapsacks containing our personal belongings. Ariel passed out half a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to each of us.

Once all of our supplies had been accounted for and we were ready to leave, Jake stepped into the center of the hollow where we'd camped, furrowing his brow and cracking his knuckles. Guessing his intentions, I stepped back outside of the former campsite, pulling Chris along with me and motioning the other to follow. When all of us were out of the way, Jake opened his mouth and pointed, a wordless exclamation escaping his lips as a flare of brilliant blue light exploded from his extended hand, flooding the clearing with its power. When it faded, the hollow was completely covered with a thick blanket of cold white powder. A small, crested bird hopped by, pecking happily at one of the thick, snaking tree roots. All traces of human habitation had vanished. It appeared as if we'd never been there at all.

After the initial jaw-dropping generally common with anyone unaccustomed to magic, Chris nodded slowly, looking faintly approving.

"Very cool...very cool. I guess this magic stuff really does come in handy sometimes, huh?"

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah."

Destiny snorted, looking around impatiently. "Yeah yeah yeah, Mister Extraordinary has done it again, blah blah blah. Whatever. We still haven't figured out what to do about, oh I don't know, **avoiding death by exposure?** Whaddaya gonna do about that, eyy Mister Extraordinary?"

"Oh. Well yes, actually, I _have_ decided what to do," said Mister Extraordinary. He grinned like a wolf, his eyes narrowing into slits, white teeth gleaming. He seemed almost evil when he did that. He pronounced the next words gleefully, relishing the idea.

"We're going on a crime spree."

As you can imagine, the suggestion didn't sit well at first with my companions. Ariel had been the first to protest. After an awkward silence, she spread her arms in disbelief.

"_That's_ it?" she'd demanded incredulously. "_That's_ your wonderful solution? A crime spree?"

Surprisingly, Destiny was the one to disagree next. "I dunno, Jake. I mean, usually a crime spree would sound fun and adventurous, but where would we go? Who would we rob? There's nothing around here for miles! And what if we got caught? I mean, we're not exactly Masters of Stealth, and can you imagine how our parents would react if they found out we all got together with a complete stranger-that'd be you, Jake-ran away from home, got lost in the mountains and almost froze to death, then went out and robbed multiple camping/fishing/hunting/outdoor and grocery stores, not to mention stealing deadly weapons from the nearest firearms dealer? The answer is not well."

Chris shifted his weight reluctantly. "I hate to admit it, but she is kinda right. Mostly about the first thing, though. I don't know about getting caught; if we can evade supernatural gangsters with deadly weapons determined to kill us, then we can avoid the human police. But, like Destiny said, who would we rob? We're lost out in the middle of nowhere! There isn't a town in sight, much less a place with the kind of things we need."

"O ye of little faith," said Jake scornfully, triumph showing clear in his superior tone of voice, "do you really doubt me that much? Don't any of you here cruel and mocking humans have any faith whatsoever in my remarkably uncommon ability of not getting us killed?"

Once again, silence had reigned. Destiny raised an eyebrow, hiding a smile. Ariel looked embarrased. The corner of my mouth twitched, but other than that my facemask of stone was unpenatrable. Chris had a hand clamped over his mouth and looked as if he was about to go into cardiac arrest trying not to laugh. I swear I could hear crickets chirping in the background.

Jake's look of victory faded. He pushed out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout. Still there was silence. Finally, he stuck his nose in the air, feigning injury. "Fine, if that's the way you're going to be, than fine. But, be that as it may, all you fiendish, nontrusting disbelievers," he said, triumph creeping back into his voice, "I am not, as you all seem to think, about to lead us to out deaths, for I know exactly where we are and whom we are going to rob. Follow." He marched off without another word, his nose still sticking up in the air. I exchanged glances with the others. Chris still looked like he was fighting back mirth, but he seemed a bit more in control now. A smile had eventually found its way out on Destiny's round, youthful face. Ariel was grinning from ear to ear now. She laughed and tossed back her head.

"Well, it looks like we've got no choice now. He might wander off a cliff by accident and fall to his death."

Chris nodded, sighing. "And _what_ a _shame_ that would be."

So, still laughing, we marched after our fearless leader, each of us trying his or her best to imitate Jake's well-maintained façade of greatly injured dignity, before collasping into giggles again.

About three hours later, after tramping through miles and miles of seemingly endless snowdrifts, we stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking a huge valley below. A bustling town sprawled out before our eyes. Houses, stores and shopping outlets of all sorts, snow dusting the few ornamental trees scattered around; the place looked like a winter wonderland.

Jake turned towards us, spreading his arms triumphantly and grinning like a maniac. "See? See? Did I steer you wrong? Nooo. Did I say we would find the perfect place to get equipment? Yes. Was I right? Yes. Did you doubt me unreasonably? Yeeeees. Was-"

I held up my hands for a halt. "Okay okay okay. We get it. By some sheerly coincidental twist of fate, you finally somehow kind of managed to get something right. Kind of."

Jake looked indignant. He opened his mouth to retort when Chris raised his hand and interruped.

"Umm, are we going to break in in broad daylight, or do we have to stay here and wait till night falls?"

Jake's face fell. "Oh. I didn't think about that."

Destiny snorted quietly. "Of course not."

Jake frowned thoughtfully. "Well...it probably wouldn't be wise to break in during the day, since we're trying to not attract unwanted attention and all."

We all nodded agreement.

He thought about it some more. "We could sneak around town for a while though, and check out all the places that might have stuff we need. We'll stake out the stores for our robbery, get familiar with the place so we can slip out easier, maybe get some lunch while we're at it, et cetera."

He nodded slowly. I could picture the wheels turning in his head as a plan began to form.

He waved his hand, and the snow fell away to form a large, dry patch of ground. The five of us sat down in a circle and listened keenly to Jake's plan. He traced a line in the dirt with his finger.

"Okay so, here's the idea. They're bound to have a hotel or inn with a vacant room around here somewhere, so we'll snoop around and find a place. We can use magic to disguise ourselves, and sneak in through one of the windows. That can serve as our place to hang while we wait nightfall. Plus we can bathe and get dressed in clean clothes, then once we're all presentable we'll hit the streets, split up maybe, and scout around for some places that have what we need. I'll assign the teams and places to look for once we get in. You four go find us a hotel to break into, while I scout around the perimeter of the town and look for signs of being followed, just in case. We meet at that big sign over there in exactly one hour. You following me?"

We all nodded again. He rose in one fluid movement and clapped his hands gleefully.

"Alright then," his eyes narrowed back into slits, a wicked smile dancing across his inhuman face, "lets rock, team. Or whatever it is you humans say."

"Okay," puffed Jake exactly one hour and two minutes later, "how'd we do? Why were you late? Any injuries? Seekers? Find a place to stay?"

"We found a place," I said, "and there aren't any real injuries-"

"Except for Chris's shoe," interrupted Destiny, dangling a mangled sneaker in front of her. Chris reddened. Jake frowned.

"What happened?"

I snorted quietly. "He was brutally assualted by someone's vicious attack poodle."

"It's not my fault!" said Chris instantly.

Ariel grinned. "He accidentally stepped on this dog's foot and it bit him. Then his shoe came off and the dog ran away with it. That's why we're late. But that doesn't really matter I guess. The important thing is that there are no Seekers as far as we know, we found a nice place with several vacant rooms..."

"Can we break in easily?"

"Yep, looks like it. We're all set."

He nodded decisively. "Good. Where is it?"

"Right behind you?"

He spun, turning to gaze up at the large, brightly lit motel building standing some four feet behind him. "Oh. Right."

We snuck around the back, furtively peeking over our shoulders every few seconds. Jake breathed a sigh of relief as we ducked out of sight from any passing onlookers.

I shielded my eyes and peered upwards. "Which one do we take?"

Jake threw me an exasperated glance. "You never checked to see which rooms were taken and which were vacant?"

"Um...no."

He shook his head sadly. "Fine. I suppose I'll just have to use my special scout magic to do it."

He lifted his hand, drawing a strange design in the air in front of him. A strand of pale blue fire appeared where he drew. He reached out, catching it, then cupped it in his hand, brought it to his mouth and whispered an inaudible spell. The magic darted away and into one of the rooms through the window, melting through the glass like it didn't exist.

Chris's eyes widened momentarily before snapping into an unreadable and carefully controlled expression.

The magic returned a split second later, flickering in front of Jake's face. He blew gently on it, and the fire dissappated, crumbling to dust and vanishing.

Jake squared his shoulders and motioned upward, at two windows side by side. "Those two rooms are unoccupied at the moment. Chris, you and me take the one on the left, the girls the one on the right."

I turned to my sister. "Hey Destiny, you got some more grappling hook action for us?"

She grinned crookedly. "Why not?"

Jake pointed, and the windows exploded noiselessly, shards of glass flying in every direction and vanishing as soon as they came in contact with anything solid. He gave a mock bow and gestured forward.

"Will you do the honors, my lady?"

Destiny stepped forward resolutely, twirling the rope. The grappling hook whirred through the air. I ducked to avoid it, although Jake wasn't so lucky. The heavy metal hook clipped him soundly on the ear.

"Oh-did that hit you? My bad. So sorry," called Destiny innocently, although we could all tell from her tone that it had been completely intentional. I smothered a grin as Jake rubbed his head ruefully.

The hook caught on the windowsill neatly. She tugged it. The rope went taut. She shimmied upwards like a monkey-maybe a little too quickly. She swung in the window and landed with a muted thud and a not-so-muted "ow!".

I snorted quietly in amusement. Chris grinned. Ariel caught hold of the wildly swinging rope and pulled herself upward.

While I waited for her to reach the top, I pulled Yala out from where he'd been sleeping in my pocket. I held him up to my face and whispered a few hushed words in his ear. He squeaked understandingly and flared his tiny wings, taking off from my hand and soaring high into the air and away, until he was no longer visible.

Satisfied that he would be safe until we returned to the forest, I returned my attention to my companions, glancing upwards to see that Ariel was standing by the window, waving impatiently. I took hold of the rope and followed quickly.

Once we were all in, I detached the hook from the bottom of the window and tossed it down to the boys. Chris leaped out of the way just in time, the hook thudding into the ground where his toe had been a split second before. He gazed upward sadly, gave me a look of wounded innocence. I smiled and waved like nothing had happened.

He sighed, shaking his head and turning to hand the rope to Jake. They muttered together for a moment, then Jake tossed his head back and laughed heartily, slapping Chris on the back. They turned and walked to the other window, joking around like they'd been friends for a lifetime. I frowned, wishing I knew what they'd said, before turning and sprinting to the bathroom.

"I call the shower first!" I yelled as I darted around the door.

"Fine by me!" replied Ariel cheerfully. She was rummaging through the mini refridgerator, looking for a snack. Destiny had crashed on the couch and was flipping through channels on the big flat-screen TV.

I ducked into the bathroom, dumping out the contents of my backpack and selecting my best-and warmest-clothes before climbing into the welcome warmpth of the shower. I sighed luxuriously, letting the steam curl around me for at least ten minutes as I reflected on our current situation.

When my knotted and aching muscles had finally been relaxed and I was sure that every trace of dirt, grime, blood and all things unclean had been washed from my body, I stepped out of the shower, shivering as I wrapped the towel around me. I dressed quickly, and blow-dryed my hair, welcoming the warm air as it billowed around my face. Finally, I looked in the mirror.

I saw a tall, statuesque teenage girl, slender but very well muscled, with a tight stomach and proud bearing. Her long, thick, red-gold hair was pulled back in a high ponytail at the top of her head. Long, curving legs were emphasized by black skinny jeans and tall, lined black leather boots. A warm black leather jacket was pulled tight on her shoulders. A shimmery forest-

green scarf wrapped elegantly around her arched neck and draped down across her small but full chest covered by a sky blue V-neck shirt. The soft skin stretched across her high cheekbones was pale and clear, marred only by a silvery, crescent-shaped scar tracing along her jawline. The rosebud lips, pink and full, were set in a confident smile. Brilliant blue eyes gleaming with determination were set above a thin, razor-like nose that curved ever-so-slightly at the end. She carried herself proudly, and her regal, catlike stance was graceful, tense and and battle-ready.

I hardly recognized myself.

I'd known that the quest would change me, physically, socially and mentally in more ways than one, but I hadn't ever expected this much and so soon. Or maybe I'd just never seen myself as clearly as I did now. Either way, the strange and exotic girl staring back at me in the mirror was the easily the most flawless character I'd ever seen in my life.

I stepped out of the bathroom, looking around and suddenly feeling very self-conscious. Destiny looked up briefly from where she was sitting.

"Hi, sis," she said in a completely normal voice, before turning back to her telivison show.

Ariel tossed me a bag of chips and handed me a Coke. "Hungry?" she asked cheerfully. I shook my head in disbelief. Had no one else noticed my sudden change? Or had I been like that all along? I decided to shrug it off and act as if nothing had happened. I accepted the snack from Ariel, crunching down the chips enthusiastically. I passed over the Coke and chugged a Dr. Pepper instead, after tossing down another bag of mini-pretzels, then scoured around the place for more food. By the time I was finished destroying the hotel's vittle supply, Destiny and Ariel had showered and dressed properly, and we were all raring to go.

We slipped out the door when no one was looking, then linked arms and sauntered through the red-carpeted halls like we actually had a right to be

there. Ariel rapped on Chris and Jake's door impatiently.

"Come on, slowpokes!" she called. "We better leave before they find us," she added in a singsong-y, much more hushed tone.

"Looking for someone?" someone behind us asked boldly. We whirled around. Jake was lounging against the wall, arms crossed and feigning boredom. "We've been waiting for hours," he added unnecessarily.

Destiny snorted. "We haven't _been_ here for hours."

"Where's Chris?" I broke in.

Jake smirked and rasied one arched eyebrow. "Why?"

Deigning the question irrelevant, I leveled my gaze, looking him straight in the eye and silently glowering at him until he shifted his weight uncomfortably and looked away.

"Fine," he muttered discontentedly, "he went to jimmy the vending machines for a snack. We ate all the other food in the room."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Chris staggered around the corner, balancing a plastic tray filled to the brim with goodies he'd liberated. Ariel moaned and smacked herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand.

"We're supposed to leave the stealing for nighttime, Chris!" she complained quietly.

He shrugged flippantly. "Oh. Sorry. I was hungry."

He ground to a halt as his gaze fell on me. His eyed widened. His mouth opened to say something but no sound came out. Jake snickered quietly.

Well, _someone_ had noticed my newfound perfection.

I was rescued by Ariel, who broke the awkward silence by leaning over and plucking the tray out of Chris's hands.

"I'll put these in the pack with the other food," she said severely. "You can eat later."

He pretended to pout and sulk while Ariel quickly repacked.

I squared my shoulders confidently. "We all ready?"

Jake shook his head and frowned thoughtfully, looking me up and down and rubbing his chin. Finally, he pulled a small, fist-sized sack out of his pocket and tossed it to me. I caught it easily and peered inside.

"Uh...what is it?"

"Spikes," he replied promptly. "You can braid them into your ponytail, so if someone tries to grab your hair in a fight, they will hurt only themselves. Very useful. Almost all of the female elves, as well as the males with long locks, use them."

"Nice," I said approvingly, tossing the sack from hand to hand. "I'll put them in tonight, before we go on our crime spree."

He nodded at me, then turned to the others. "Okay, then. We need to split up. How many of you have cell phones?"

We all raised our hands.

"Do you all know each other's numbers?"

"Um, Chris has mine and I have his," I volunteered.

"I have yours and Ariel's, but not Jake's or Chris's," added Destiny.

We all exchanged cell numbers, then Jake said,

"All right. Here's the plan. Morgan, you go with Chris. Ariel, you and Destiny pair up. I'll go by myself."

He pulled us into a corner, out of sight, then murmured an inaudible spell. His finger began to glow blue. He traced a pattern in the air, and I realized it was a map of the town. He marked the hotel where we were with a bright red X. "This is us. Morgan, you and Chris go that way..." he traced another route, leading north, in green. "Look in all the outdoor stores, any place that has camping and hunting essentials, like flashlights, sleeping bags, possibly a tent, as well as knives and firearms. Also check for grocery stores. We need provisions. They're bound to have maps in here somewhere, so take one with you. When you find a place that has what we need, send out a text or phone call to all of us, then mark off the place on the map so we'll know where to find it tonight. Remember, we won't have time to rob every single store here, so only check the most useful ones. And remember, keep an eye out for Seekers."

"Of course."

He turned to Ariel and Destiny. "You two go this way, along the purple route. Everything I said to Morgan and Chris applies to you as well. We'll all meet up again here at six o'clock this evening. Got all that?"

Ariel nodded grimly. "Got it. Anything else?"

He smirked at me and Chris. "Oh, yeah. No detours, you two."

Chris reddened. I liften my chin defaintly. "Of course not."

Jake rubbed his hands together gleefully. "All right, people. Let's hit the streets."

Now, normally, I wouldn't condone with stealing and/or breaking into a hotel, but in a situation like this, it was different. If Jake was to be believed-and by now I was almost completely convinced that what he said was true-then the world depended on us. We were risking our lives to help the mortals. The least they could do was supply us with the things we needed. After all, a few stolen goods were a small price to pay for the privilege of being able to live to see the next year.

These were my thoughts as Chris and I padded down the sidewalk, eyes keenly sweeping across our surroundings. The town was bright and happy, bustling with cheerful people. They didn't at all seem bothered by the fact that it was snowing in late March, when the thaw should've been and gone long by now.

I gazed around thoughtfully, looking for anything that could be useful to us. I'd snatched a map from the display case just before we'd left, and traced the route Jake told us to follow in red marker. Now, I pulled it out and unfolded it, furrowing my brow in concentration. I tapped the landmark closest to us with my index finger.

"This looks promising."

Chris peered over my shoulder at the map. I was uncomfortably aware of his warm breath on the back of my neck.

"Dare Red's Sporting Goods?" he read aloud. "Maybe. Let's check it out. Is that it right up there?"

I nodded breathlessly. "Yeah, that big place with the black roof."

We walked over briskly and stepped inside, glancing around uneasily. Everyone looked normal to me. Chris marched right up to the large display case in front.

"Look," he whispered. "Lots of knives."

I came over and stood next to him, admiring the weapons. They ranged from small, smooth-bladed pocketknives to serrated hunting knives with leather sheaths. The prices ranged from seven dollars to two-hundred-and-sixty dollars. The glass case looked breakable enough.

Chris grinned crookedly. "This is place is definitely worth robb-er, checking out."

"Perfect," I agreed happily. "Let's see what else they have."

We made our way around the store, inspecting all of the cold-weather clothing, firearms, knives, hunting radios, muck boots, archery equipment, et cetera. I practically had to drag Chris away from the gun rack.

The place was huge, and chock-full of almost everything we needed. I marked it with a big red check mark as we stepped back outside into the sunlight. Chris and I slapped energetic high-fives.

"All right!" he said, giving me another crooked smile, his eyes sparkling with glee. It was so easy to make Chris happy. I smiled back and, caught up in the moment, allowed myself to be momentarily lost in the warm brown depths of his eyes. I wrenched myself back into reality moments later, clapping him on the back as though nothing had happened.

"So far so good. What's next?"

We followed the route Jake had outlined for us, checking into every promising store we came across. None of the others were nearly as fruitful as Dare's had been, but we still managed to scrape up a nice catch. When we were finished, we'd checked off six places altogether: Dare Red's, Tanakora; a nice shop that specialized in camping gear, three grocery outlets, and a small history musuem that contained relics from the Revolutionary War. They had tons of replicas of sword and suchlike, which could turn out to be invaluable.

We slapped high-fives again. Chris checked his watch. "Hey, we've still got about an hour till we meet up with the other guys. Is there anything else we need?"

"Hmm..." I thought for a moment. "We do need to make sure we can be unrecognizeable if they catch us on any live security cameras. We'll wear gloves, of course, and we have some of those, so that's not a problem. We have dark clothes, and Jake can smooth out footprints with magic if he has to. We can also use makeup to disguise ourselves, like smear eye shadow or liner on our faces, and bind silk scarves around our eyes, enough that we can see them but they can't see us. I don't have any makeup on me, though, and we'll have to find a thrift store for the scarves."

Chris help up the map, scrutinizing it carefully. "We passed a thrift store on the way up here, I think it was back by Tanakora. We can ask

around for directions to a place with the makeup. Do you have any cash on you?"

We pooled our resources and came up with fifty-seven dollars and seventy-six cents altogether. I decided that was probably enough to get what we needed without having to resort to theft. We sauntered back down the sidewalk, laughing and shoving each other around like we'd been friends for all of our lives.

The little bells on the door jingled as Chris pushed open the door to the small thrift shop. The curtains were thick and gauzy, with tiny glass

ornaments hanging off of every available surface. The air was heavy with perfume, and the lights cast the room in a dark, golden shade. I shivered involuntarily. Chris pulled a face.

"Creepy," he muttured, half to himself. I was in full agreement. This was definitely the weirdest thrift store I'd ever been in. I peered around uneasily. There was an old woman, wearing a heavy shroud, sitting behind the marble countertop near the front window.

"Bit expensive for a thrift store, ya think?" Chris murmured in my ear. I nodded absently, brushing down the aisles.

We were in luck. I found a whole shelf full of gauzy silken scarves, with all different sorts of colors and designs. I picked out several thick, nondescript black pieces that would go perfectly.

My gaze landed next on the shelf to the far right, which was piled high with jewelry, mainly amulets with strange little runes inscribed on them. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted one that seemed familiar and turned my head to take a closer look. It was another amulet, this one a thin golden chain bearing a polished ebony circle. In the center of the black charm, the elvish glyph for _death_ was inscribed in purple ink. My eyes widened in shock. What kind of a thrift store was this? I grabbed Chris's arm and hauled him to the front, anxious to be out of this freaky place.

As we lined up to pay for our purchase, a thought struck me, and I elbowed Chris in the gut sharply.

"Oh, my sistah shaaall absahlutely _ah-dore_these!" I giggled in a high, feminine and strangely accented voice. Chris eyed me oddly, but played along all the same.

"Er...yes, probably. She _did_ say she wanted a black theme and not brown, didn't she?"

I could have hugged him.

"Oh yes, absahlutely. Black is her most fah-vo-rite color ev-ah, and she mustn't have anything but the best!"

I leaned over the counter and pushed the scarved towards the veiled woman. "Ah would like to purchase these, if ye will?"

She cackled, showing her stumpy gray teeth through the headcloth covering her face. "Of course, _madam_."

I shuddered inwardly. Beneath the veil, her black eyes bored into mine, and I felt certain somehow that she saw right through my little charade.

I gave her a falsely cheerful smile and shoved the cash across the counter as well, trying not to see too hurried as I took the scarves in one hand and Chris's arm in the other, steering him towards the door. The

chimes swayed in the breeze, ringing out in a hauntingly beautiful melody as we swept out the entrance. The lights from inside cast eerie shadows onto the snow, and I could still feel her eyes, boring into my back.

I released a pent-up breath. "Okay, that was _weird_."

Chris's gaze darted around nervously, like he was expecting an attack any minute.

"Yeah. Come on, let's get out of here."

And get out of here we did, sprinting through the slush like our lives depended on it, not stopping until we'd put at least twenty-three blocks in between us and the creepy old lady.

"So, Morgan," Chris began as he leaned over to catch his breath, "what was that 'mah sistah would ah-dore these' thing all about?"

"Well, if we do get caught on security cameras, they'll probably see the scarves over our eyes, and start asking around if anyone suspicious made a large purchase of black silk scarves. I thought I'd act a little, to make us seem not as suspicious. She'd be much less likely to mention a woman with a weird accent buying scarves for her sister than two shifty-looking teenagers making such a large and conspicious purchase for no apparent reason."

Chris looked himself up and down, frowning slightly. "Do I look shifty?"

I cracked up and pushed him over good-naturedly. "Oh yeah, Chris,

you look like such a crook! Like any minute you might stop and pick up that little old lady over there and throw her into the path of an oncoming tow truck."

He gave me a mock injured look. "And here I thought you were my friend. It's sad, really, the pains you go through for people, and then they turn around and say something like that."

I laughed again and clapped him on the shoulder. "Now, there's the spirit! Trust no one, right? No," I continued, still teasing, "actually you look good."

That part was true. His thick brown hair was tousled in casual disarray, cheeks lightly flushed from our run, deep brown eyes sparkling with mischief. He was dressed simply but well, in navy blue jeans, combat boots, and a dark leather jacket over a forest green turtleneck that emphasized his broad shoulders and powerful, athletic build. He smiled my favorite crooked, cocksure grin, his whole face lighting up like an angel's when he did that. I stopped myself before I could start hyperventilating like an idiot.

"You think so?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him he looked better than any other guy in the world, including the inhumanly beautiful Jake.

Instead, I nodded ever-so-seriously and said, "Yeah, like you just fell off the runway and landed on your head."

It was his turn to laugh. "You're cruel, Morgan."

"I know," I said, agreeing wholeheartedly and leaning over to grab a handful of snow and throw it at his head. He ducked, still chuckling to himself, and retaliated. Soon enough we had a full-blown snow-war going on. Nearby pedestrians ducked our stray missiles, laughing good-naturedly and waving, too cheerful at such a beautiful evening to be angry.

Finally we collapsed on top of each other, still giggling hysterically but too tired to go on. I surveyed myself, shaking my head in disgust.

"We're going to be completely soaked, you know," I told him, trying to

sound severe (but not succeeding very well, on account of the hiccups forcing their way up my throat)

He checked his watch again. "Oops. We lost track of time. We're supposed to meet the others in five minutes."

I slapped myself in the forehead with the palm of my hand. "And I completely forgot about the makeup! Uck."

"Oh." He frowned. "That's not good. Come on, maybe we'll find a place on the way up."

We hauled ourselves to our feet and jogged back down the sidewalk the way we'd come.

Luckily, we did find a place on the way up. We stopped by a shop called La Rose's, which specialized in all sorts of cheap, kooky dressup and exotic face paint. We made out like bandits (Which we were about to come in a short amount of hours) and arrived back at the hotel only five minutes late.

We went in through the window again, meeting up with our companions in the hotel room us girls had shared earlier. We all went into group hug mode, with high fives, fist bumps and congratulating cheers all around.

Afterwards Jake stepped back and surveyed us (us being me and Chris) slowly, taking in our dripping wet clothes, flushed faces, muddy boots and triumphant smiles. He nodded at the paper bag I was carrying.

"What is that?"

I held it up for the others to examine. "Disguises."

Ariel and I bumped our fists again. "Nice work!" she said approvingly. "I didn't think about that until much later."

Jake quickly took charge again. He glanced up at the clock. "Okay, everyone. We have several hours of free time, five and a half to be exact. Bathe, eat, sleep, dress properly, do whatever, but stay inside the hotel room

at all times. I checked out this place, and they do not get much business, so we should remain undetected for the present. At eleven-thirty, we all gather here and exchange information. I'll outline the plan. Then we get dressed-I presume you all have dark clothes?"

We all nodded.

"Right. Morgan, you can be in charge of distrubuting the scarves and makeup. Make it so we are all completely unrecognizeable. Then we wait. At exactly one o'clock in the morning, we will sneak out the window and start our crime spree. I'll give you the details later. Dismissed."

Destiny and I exchanged amused glances. Dismissed? What did he think this was, some kind of military class? Well, he probably had plenty of experience with those, I mused.

I showered again, rinsing all of the snow and grime from my skin, then dressed in sweats and a tanktop. I washed my other clothes in the sink and layed them out to dry. I crunched down an apple and some crackers, chugged half a bottle of water, then went and sat on the couch.

I watched my companions through half-lidded eyes. Jake was (of course) rummaging through the mini fridge again. Chris was nowhere to be seen. Destiny had crashed on the big double bed in a halfway closed-off room to the right of the door, and Ariel was sitting by the window, gazing out at the snowy landscape. As I watched, Jake went over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look up and gaze into his eyes. They whispered to each other, murmuring words too quiet for me to hear. I looked away as an unexpected pang of loneliness shot through me.

I dozed fitfully for a while, jerking awake every so often to look around me again. The last time I woke before sinking into a deep, restful slumber, I faintly registered the sensation something warm pressing against my side, and I smiled before sleep crashed over me like a dark and quiet wave.

When I woke up for good, dusk had fallen over the little town. Someone had pulled the curtains over the broken window. Destiny was still asleep, snoring softly. I could hear Ariel and Jake talking quietly upstairs.

Chris was curled up on the couch beside me, his head resting on my shoulder. Instead of jerking away, I closed my eyes as some strange, hot and giddy emotion that I had never felt before rolled over me. I brushed my hand across his face, gently running my fingers through his hair, feeling oddly protective. I stayed that way, my hand coming to rest on the side of his neck, until the clock struck eleven and the rest of my companions awoke.

We all sat in a circle around the coffee table, listening as Jake outlined his plan. He pushed the table out of the way and spread a mad in the center of the floor, tapping the black circle that marked where we were now. He'd marked all the places worth stealing from with red Xs. There were eleven total.

"Here is what we are going to do. After we finish planning, we all dress in our darkest, most nondescript clothing. Wear gloves, shoes with smooth bottoms if you have them, jackets with hoods, that sort of thing. Morgan is in charge of the makeup disguises. Straighten up this place as best you can. Pack everything up and leave it in one place, on that bed over there. Ariel, you are in charge of that. Put the general possessions, like food and blankets, in those two black backpacks. The rest of you, put all of your gear in the backpack you brought, and give any extra packs to me. We'll put the stolen goods in those. Each of you is allowed a small knapsack to carry with you. Bring flashlights, a weapon, rope, something to smash stuff with, like a rock or small club. We'll start here"-he set his index finger on the X that marked Dare Red's, which was the cloest-"and make our way down. After we've

cleared the place out, we will extimate how much time we have based on how long it took in there. If we there's not much, we will split up, and we can steal someone's car or motorcycle and take that. Savvy?"

We all gave the affirmitave, and the room exploded into action. I grabbed my backpack off of the floor and ran upstairs to change. I chose a pair of black Mudd skinny jeans over thin leggings, black leather lace-up boots that went all the way to my knees and were waterproof, and black cami underneath a navy blue turtleneck. I pulled my black elbow-length gloves over the sleeves of the turtleneck, and yanked on my favorite black leather jacket over that. I put my hair back into a high ponytail again and threaded in the spikes Jake had given me earlier. I strapped my knife to my thigh and crammed a silver wind-up flashlight, a length of rope, a stopwatch, and camera into my leather knapsack. I threw that over my shoulder, grabbed my backpack in one hand and the scarves in the other, taking the stairs two at a time.

Destiny and Jake were downstairs, ready to go. Jake looked strikingly evil, dressed from head to toe in black leather with a black band tied over his forehead. His eyes glittered. Destiny was bouncing up and down in nervous excitement. She, too, had braided spikes in her her hair, and I saw that Ariel had done the same, as she bounded down the stairs after me. She and

Destiny were both dressed in dark, boot-cut Levis and heavy hooded sweatshirts. Ariel's brown Totes dangled by the strings from her hand.

I beckoned Destiny over while Ariel organized the packs.

She sat on the edge of the bed while I smeared eye shadow on her eyelids, brows, cheeks and across the bridge of her pert nose. I bound the first scarf loosely around her forehead, so it hung down over her eyes and nose. I did the same to Jake, also brushing eyeliner over top of his upper lip so it looked like a faint moustache. Perfect.

I looked up as Chris thumped down the stairs, looking every inch the seasoned criminal. He was dressed in black camouflage cargos tucked into

combat boots, with a darkly colored hoodie thrown over a gray T-shirt and a black leather sheath-complete with knife-hanging from his belt on his left hip and a pistol case on the right. I gave him the same eyeliner-moustache treatment that I gave Jake, except I put eyeliner around his eyes too, so he looked less like Chris and more like Billie Joe Armstrong.

Ariel did my makeup treatment. When she was finished, I looked in the mirror and decided that my own mother probably wouldn't recognize me now.

I started as Jake clapped his hands loudly. "Come on, people! It's almost one!"

At the last moment, I remembered to grab my purple Samsung Moment off of the counter and stuff it in my back pocket as I went to join the others standing by the window.

A fierce rush of pride gripped me as I gazed around at my little group of friends. I looked from Ariel; calm and collected as always, to Jake; quiet and commanding, to Destiny; bouncing up and down excitedly, and finally to Chris; dark and handsome, with a strange light of anticipation gleaming in his large, intelligent eyes. Fate had brought us together, and now we were as tight-knit as our own little family, each willing to sacrifice his or her life for the others. This was where I belonged.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins. We were standing by the back exit of Dare Red's Sporting Goods, a good two miles from the motel. Jake put his hand on the door and murmured something. A faint click sounded inside the mechanisms of the lock, and the door swung open.

Ariel crept in first, looking around warily. Chris and I followed, with Jake and Destiny bringing up the rear. "Okay, split," murmured Jake. "Chris with Morgan, Ariel with Destiny and I will go by myself. Remember, don't

overload, because we cannot carry everything. Take only the best and most needed. Weapons, sleeping bags, camping gear. That sort of thing. Try not to make much noise. And-"

"Jake!" said Ariel exasperatedly.

"What?"

"We know, okay? We're not imbeciles."

He flushed red. "Oh. Well, yeah. Sorry."

We each ran off in different directions. I followed Chris as he made a beeline for the knife display we'd seen earlier.

Good choice, I thought, and handed him my baton. "Will you do the honors?" I teased lightly.

"Gladly," he whispered back, and swung the baton. The case crashed open, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. I flinched and shielded my face with my hands. Chris did the same.

Once all the glass was settled, we picked out six of the best knives we could find, as well as sheaths, and stuffed them in a grocery bag. I snatched a small bronze Swiss Army knife with half a dozen blades and stuck it my pocket as well.

After raiding the knife supply, we made our way across the store to the back wall, where they kept the new and used firearms. Chris jacked three pistols and a Crio Super Black Eagle II without hesitation, while I filled another grocery bag with bullets of all kinds. We met up with Jake there, who had already fallen in love with a black-and-camo 12 gauge Winchester pump gun, and passed off our stolen goods to him.

Next I hauled Chris over to the clothing rack, selecting three pairs of cold-weather camo cargos that would surely come in handy on our next snowy expedition. He added a pair of thick, waterproof gloves to the pile. We shoved it all in a stolen Parks & Recreation backpack, along with two pairs of lined Woody Max muck boots. I texted Ariel:

Got weapons+clothes+xtra backpack. U? 3 M&C

She replied almost immediately:

2coats+nice crossbow+arrows n D found sm nice radios/walkietalkies. th ok? 3 A&D

I relayed the news to Chris.

"Are we almost done then?" he asked. I shrugged in return.

"Dunno. I'll ask Jake. I don't think they have camping gear here, though. We'll have to get that at Tanakora's and that other place Ariel and Destiny found this morning."

As if on cue, Chris's LG Alley played Clint Black-

_Like the rain I have fallen for you and I know just why you Liked the rain, always calling for you I'm falling for you now Just like the rain..._

-and he flipped it open. It was a text.

Yall done? -Jake

I gave Chris the thumbs-up. "Tell him we're all ready."

He looked up briefly from texting the reply. "Rendezvouz at the back exit?"

"Yeah."

He snapped the phone closed and shoved it in his back pocket. "They're on their way."

He slung the stolen backpack with all the stolen goods inside over his shoulder and we raced to the back exit.

Destiny, Ariel and Jake were already there when we reached the door. Chris handed Jake the backpack. He pulled out the map.

"Okay, I am going back to the hotel to put this stuff in there so we'll have more room to carry things. Ariel and Destiny, you go to that camping

store you found and break in there. Chris and Morgan, take the grocery outlet nearby. We all meet up at Tanakora's in half an hour. Am I clear?" he asked as he handed us each a stolen backpack.

Chris saluted and stood stiffly at attention. "Aye-aye, Cap'n, yer all clear, sir!"

Jake's face relaxed in a brief smile. "Good work, soldier. See ya then."

And he jogged off into the night.

The Sam's Food Market wasn't terribly far from where we were, so we reached it in a matter of minutes. It was relatively easy to get into, even without Jake's lock magic. Picks work just as well.

Chris loaded us up on bread, cheese, jerky, dried fruit and bottled water while I raided the cash register. I felt slightly guilty doing it, but I knew it was all for a good cause and that if the mortals knew half of what was going on they'd (probably. hopefully) understand.

We zipped in and out of the food market it record time, which gave Chris the opportunity to 'borrow' a nice pickaxe he'd found in the local hardware store. You never knew when that would come in handy.

Tanakora came next. Destiny and Ariel hadn't found much of use in their other store, only a wind-up lantern, some matches and one flannel sleeping bag. Jake didn't appear overly concerned.

"This place looks like it has plenty of what we need," he said.

It wasn't that big, so we didn't feel the need to split up like we'd done in Dare Red's. We found four more sleeping bags, a lot more matches, a set of old-fashioned flint and tinder, and some thick wool socks. The sleeping bags were reasonably small, so they fit perfectly in the large duffel bag Jake had stolen for exactly that purpose.

I volunteered myself and Chris to go to the history musuem we'd found while the rest of them searched the last couple of places. I wanted to check out that thrift store again. Jake agreed, and off we went.

"So," Chris puffed as we ran down the sidewalk, just as we had hours before, "what's the plan?"

"Whaddaya mean?" I questioned him.

"I know something's up," he told me. "You got that oh-so-innocent face on again, which always means you're hiding something."

I gave him a dirty look. How had he come to know me so well?

"Fine. I want to check out that creepy thrift place again."

"Ugh. I should've known. Why, though?"

I was saved from having to answer by my phone, playing Green Day, which signaled an incoming text.

_Ring out the bells again, like we did when spring began..._

I checked the number. It was Jake.

Wait! Quick, run back to Tanakora and get me a tent. -Jake

I rolled my eyes in annoyance and replied:

What for? 3 M&C

"What is it?" asked Chris curiously.

"Jake wants a tent."

"Uh...why? Wouldn't that be too big and awkward to have to set up every night and take back down in the morning? Not to mention having to carry it all day."

I shrugged. "Don't ask me. I guess it's important, though," I sighed resignedly. "Come on."

We slogged back through the mushy streets to Tanakora and got Jake his tent. At least there were plenty of selections. Together, Chris and I

decided on a reasonably sized, durable forest green number. I balanced the box on my head jokingly before it almost fell off and landed in a mud puddle. Then I carried it safely tucked under my arm until we reached the Rivermont History Museum.

Okay, remember when I called the place 'small'? Well, I lied. It was huge, and I was absolutely delighted with the selection of very realistic weapon replicas they had stored in the basement (Chris, baby, you are a genius).

I curled my hand around the hilt of a long rapier and pulled it out of the scabbard. It fit my hard perfectly, feeling like the extension of my arm. I swung it experimentally. It was wonderful.

Chris tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey look, I found its twin."

Sure enough, he held in his hand an exactly identical rapier and sheath. I crossed the scabbards so they formed an X, and a thought occurred to me. I put my hand in the center, where the scabbards touched each other, and tapped into the flow of magic inside my body. I closed my eyes and pushed out with my blood. When I opened them again, the scabbards had melded into one whole X-shaped sheath. I slid the blades back into them and secured a leather strap to the center where they'd been melded, slinging it over my shoulder. It worked like a charm.

Chris, meanwhile, had acquired a large broadsword that fit his fighting style perfectly. We collected six more swords, two each for our three companions, and I mass-texted everyone:

Got some very nice weapons. All finished here. Meetcha back the hotel 'round 4:30. Th ok w/ u all? 3 M&C

I stepped outside and glanced up at the sky, groaning inwardly. Damn Jake and his tent. There wasn't enough time now for me to go check out the thrift store.

Beside me, Chrus pulled a face, obviously reaching the same conclusion that I had. "Sorry, Morgan," he said, squeezing my shoulder sympathetically. I sighed.

"Yeah. Oh well. Maybe we'll stop by here again some other time."

"Maybe."

I threw one last longing glance over my shoulder before marching back the way we'd come.

We piled all of our stolen goods together on the large double bed. Total, we'd acquired nine knives, five pistols, two shotguns, eight boxes of bullets, two thick coats, three pairs of camouflage cargo pants, two pairs of muck boots, a crossbow and seven barbed arrows, five walkie talkies; one for each of us, two blankets, several books of matches, a wind-up lantern, three wind-up flashlights, the flint and tinder, Chris's pickaxe, nine swords, six Parks & Recreation backpacks, a duffel bag to keep the sleeping bags in, of course let's not forget Jake's tent, and a pair of thick wool socks and a flannel sleeping bag for each of for food, we had a three loaves of bread, a round of cheese wrapped in paper, five apples, five oranges and five pears, fifteen pieces of beef jerky, and two more packs of hot dogs (Go, Chris!) as well as the food from before coupled with what Chris had stolen from the vending machine.

Chris gazed at the heap of stolen items weighing down the bed. "How are we supposed to carry all this?" he demanded in disbelief.

Ariel stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I'll figure it out."

She took it upon herself to distribute the gear. For starters, she gave us each our original backpacks containing our personal belongings. After that, she handed us each a pair of wool socks, a walkie-talkie, a knife, a pistol with a box of ammunition, a book of matches, and a sword-I got my twin rapiers!

-to add to our original possessions. She managed to cram all the food in one large leather pack that Jake had brought, and elected herself to carry that one. I had still had room in my own backpack, so I added two pairs of cargos and an extra knife. Ariel gave Jake the 12 gauge he hadn't taken his eyes off of the entire time, and Chris the Benelli he'd picked out for himself. Destiny took the crossbow and arrows. She and Ariel pulled the thick camo coats on over their sweatshirts, so they were out of the way. Jake put the flint and tinder, the remaining three knives, two boxes of bullets, the extra pair of pants, the muck boots, two blankets-we ditched the ones we'd used the night before, deeming them relatively useless-and Chris's axe in a spare pack, strapping the three extra swords to the back, and shouldered that, as well as the duffel bag containing our sleeping mats and his original backpack. If he'd been a normal human, I would've insisted on helping share the load, but considering he was supernatural and all that, I figured he could take it. He, Chris and Ariel each took a flashlight; Destiny and I already had our own. He carried the lantern, and we left the remaining backpacks in the room.

We'd packed everything up in advance, so after we distributed our loot evenly, we slipped out the window and into the night like dark and silent wraiths. All that remained were four empty backpacks lying scattered around the room and muddy boot prints that tracked across the once-spotless cream carpet. The wind moaned softly as it swept in through the broken window, the glass pieces tinkling an eerie melody as the curtains brushed them by. A cold full moon shone above the creaking branches overshadowing the footprints impressed upon the crisp, clear snowdrifts, but even as the breeze shifted the prints grew smaller and shallower until they vanished altogether, not as if they had been filled in but as if they had never been there at all.


End file.
